Stuart Barnes hammers warning to Pivac’s Wales and says Gareth Bale and team could turn ‘rugby legends to modern-day leftovers’

Stuart Barnes has issued a stark warning for the future of rugby in Wales and feels a sliding doors moment could arrive this winter with Gareth Bale’s football team at the World Cup.

The former England fly-half turned pundit says Wayne Pivac’s side simply have to perform well against world champions South Africa on their three-Test summer tour in order to give Welsh rugby the fillip it desperately needs at the end of a woeful season.

Pivac’s Six Nations champions embarrassingly crashed at home to Italy during the defence of their title, played in front of more than 1src,srcsrcsrc empty seats against France and the four Welsh regions had a horrific time.

READ MORE: Wales sweat on Biggar fitness after he’s forced out of huge English semi-final clash

They each bombed out of Europe without winning a game on the pitch – Cardiff were awarded one walkover victory – while the ninth-placed Ospreys were the best performing Welsh side in the 16-team United Rugby Championship. The Scarlets were one place worse off and even a club of Cardiff’s magnitude, plus the Dragons, finished below Benetton.

Against this backdrop, Bale and his football team have provided sporting joy by beating Ukraine to reach Qatar 2src22, whe