THE alarm bells are ringing for Wales now with the Six Nations over and the World Cup just six months away.

It’s been an incredibly frustrating tournament and we’ve all been up and down like a yo-yo, from the disappointment of the opening game against England to the mini-revival with victories over Scotland and Italy followed by the more impressive one against Ireland leading us all to believe that Wales were, indeed, back on track.

How mistaken we were, not just because Wales ending up losing in France on a bleak Saturday night, but it was the manner of the setback that caused such concern.

When a calm, measured kind of ex-captain-turned-pundit like Robert Jones accuses Wales of being too predictable, lacking imagination and ambition then something is surely wrong.

The complete absence of any real menace, with little or no threat against a French team lacking their normal flair, sent Welsh fans into a state of depression late into the cold Paris night air.

And as for those fans who consoled themselves in England’s hammering by a reinvigorated Ireland side, that really is pathetic. Surely we’re a bit more mature than that?

Instead of wallowing in England’s sudden misfortune, real Welsh fans ought to ask just what went wrong against France and how it can be put right through the four summer friendlies against the Barbarians, England (twice) and Argentina.

Make no mistake, a repeat of the performance against France and Wales, for the third time in the last four World Cups, will not reach the quarter-finals. They’ve got South Africa, Samoa and Fiji in their group who will all represent physical challenges and there will be injuries for sure.

Southern hemisphere giants New Zealand, South Africa and Australia will be licking their lips at the prospect of meeting any of their northern hemisphere rivals on the evidence of the Six Nations, for they play the game at a different pace and at a far higher intensity.

I would make two suggestions straightaway – break up the centre partnership of Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts for, as I suspected all along, they are too similar and secondly don’t discard Martyn Williams, who still has a lot to offer.

The emergence of Sam Warburton has been one of the more encouraging features of the Six Nations, but there is still a place for Williams, even as a replacement.

He has the footballing skills which Wales lack and his linkwork and footballing ability can still prove invaluable.

And a question – could there be a place even at this late stage for Nicky Robinson? He continues to score points for fun for Gloucester and has played a leading role in their LV Cup triumph.

He offers something different and though occasionally flaky in the past he is another skillful player who could get Wales out of their predictability.

James Hook has hardly been convincing in the No 10 jersey he covets and was finally given by coach Warren Gatland.

He is susceptible to the charge down, which is exactly what happened against France, and while his kicking out of hand is often long it’s not always accurate.

Lee Byrne has been a disappointment, though there is an absence of real challengers for the full back position, and Mike Phillips remains an enigma, his service slow but still capable of a real spark.

Wales will welcome back a fully fit Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins in the front row, but need a real challenger to locks Bradley Davies and Alun Wyn Jones.

The back row of Dan Lydiate, Ryan Jones and Warburton has been the most successful area of the team, but Williams should not be dismissed from the reckoning.

Tension behind the scenes needs to be removed as well for when the players get back in camp there can’t be any hangover from the rumpus which allegedly erupted between defence coach Shaun Edwards and sports scientist Fergus Connolly resulting in them being suspended in the week leading up to the France game.

The story leaked out on Saturday and the efforts to camouflage it from on high would have been laughable had it not been so serious.

Some of what was written on the day was inaccurate, we were told, but when we asked for the correct version we were told it was up to us to find out.

How could we do that if officials refused to comment we asked, but were told to use our journalistic skills! Unbelievable.

And Gatland felt he couldn’t win, blagged as he put it when openly criticising any of his players and blagged when he declined to comment on an internal disciplinary matter.

One thing for sure, it can’t be allowed to fester. For the next few months, summer or not, are crucial if Wales are to avoid World Cup humiliation in the autumn.