Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward says Wales have been totally transformed under Matt Sherratt.
Wales opened their Six Nations account with a battering at the hands of France, who stuck 43 unanswered points on Warren Gatland's team. The next match wasn't any better, with arguably the worst performance of the entire losing run when they were beaten 22-15 by Italy.
Gatland's exit came shortly after, with Cardiff Rugby's head coach Sherratt coming in on an interim basis until the end of the tournament. The performance against Ireland was nothing short of transformative, with a refreshed attack putting reigning champions Ireland to the test in the Welsh capital.
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Writing about Wales in his latest column for MailOnline, Woodward explained that Wales had simply hit a roadblock under Gatland, with Sherratt coming in to make a monumental impact.
"I thought Wales were excellent against Ireland," wrote Woodward. "I don't know Sherratt, but I'd like to pass on my congratulations to him for the way he got his side playing in round three. Wales pushed Ireland really, really hard by playing with pace and fun. All of a sudden, from the depths of doom, Sherratt has given Welsh rugby some hope and that's fantastic. The Six Nations needs Wales to be strong."
Sherratt has received praise from far and wide, becoming a popular figure in Wales overnight. Despite his instant impact, Sherratt has explicitly expressed that he does not wish to take on the Wales head coach role on a permanent basis, with his future commitments at Cardiff, with whom he has recently penned a long-term deal.
The Cardiff boss has two more games at the helm before heading back to his club, though, and Woodward thinks that Wales have a great chance of defeating both Scotland and England. He added that the performance against Ireland just goes to show that with the right coach, any team can be changed for the better, but they must now end their 15-match losing streak at international level.
Woodward also noted that a previously unthinkable thing happened against Ireland - England fans wanted Wales to win.
"I watched Wales against Ireland at Twickenham before the Calcutta Cup," he continued. "And it said everything that England fans wanted Wales to win. They played rugby the way it should be played against Ireland — a real contrast to England's kick-heavy approach against Scotland."
Wales face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, March 8. One week later it's a home fixture against England, in what is set to be a blockbuster Super Saturday fixture, in Sherratt's last game as boss.
