You reap what you sow and after neglecting its production line for far too long, Welsh rugby has now found there is not much grain in the store.

The first two rounds of the 2023 Six Nations have shown the scale of the job facing Warren Gatland. Wales have not immediately turned the corner with him returning as head coach. 

In fact, you could easily make the argument things have got worse since Gatland took over from Wayne Pivac. Wales have been blown away by Ireland and Scotland - being thrashed 35-7 on Saturday - with the same mistakes costing them in both matches. 

The bottom line is this. The Welsh Rugby Union has underfunded its four professional regions for far too long and is now paying the price at national level. Gatland does not have a golden generation of players to work with like he did in his trophy-laden first spell in charge.

Welsh rugby's supply chain has been badly underfunded and the senior side is now in trouble as a result. Former WRU chief executive Steve Phillips seemed more focused on money-making schemes than the actual sport during his time in charge. 

Now departed after the WRU's sexism scandal, Phillips has done Welsh rugby no favours. The chickens are coming home to roost. Gatland is the best man for the head coach job right now, but he can only do so much with what he has available.

He cannot work miracles. Gatland does have some young talent available to him. But it is the ultimate irony that Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza were the ones to show youthful Welsh promise against Scotland. Both players have developed at Exeter after choosing to leave the Welsh pathway system for better offers in England. That says it all. 

Where do Wales go from here? There is now a very realistic chance they could suffer a Six Nations whitewash. Gatland admitted Wales were 'in a hole' after a record defeat by Scotland and added: 'We need to take a good, hard look at ourselves.'

Former dual code international Jonathan Davies said the Welsh performance in Edinburgh was 'clueless'. Ex-centre Jamie Roberts, a powerhouse of past Gatland sides, told the BBC: 'We hoped the loss at home to Georgia in November was a watershed but I can't help think Wales are now paying the price for some poor decisions over the past three years. 

'We have a lot of old players and then a gap to the youngsters who don't know what it takes to win at this level. I can't see where we're going to win.'

Gatland not only has wider issues to resolve, but also ones staring him straight in the face. With a World Cup looming on the horizon, he really has no other option than to continue to place his faith in youth and phase out his old guard, many of whom now look over the hill. 

That will take time to bear fruit and there could be more pain to come.But Jenkins, Tshiunza, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell and Joe Hawkins must be given a run of games. Mason Grady may also be considered for a debut against England.

What is not a system or pathway issue is the criminal number of basic mistakes Wales have made in the Six Nations to date.

Their convincing defeats by Ireland and Scotland have been punctuated by the same errors, namely shocking discipline, simple blunders, and a failure to convert their chances. At BT Murrayfield, there was one occasion where from a prime attacking scrum opportunity five metres from the Scotland line, Wales' backs were penalised for offside on their own ball.

Such a mistake would be unforgivable at Under-12 level on a Sunday morning, let alone in the international game. Even as Welsh rugby battles huge structural and governance issues off the field, the truth is the players who have worn the red shirt in the last two weeks are capable of far better than what they have produced on it. 

'We have to stay tight as a squad. I am sure we will,' said Wales captain Ken Owens. 'We have to be honest with each other because there are going to be some grenades coming from the outside. We have to front that. That is what we do in Wales, we are pretty comfortable with that.' 

Owens claimed Wales produced a good first half display against Scotland. But the fact they were in the game at the break was mainly due to the hosts' wastefulness and a yellow card for George Turner which allowed his opposite number Owens to score. 

When Scotland clicked into gear in the second half, they ran riot and put Wales to bed with ease. The majestic Finn Russell ran the game.Duhan van der Merwe was equally as good, scattering Welsh tacklers in his wake like an adult playing against children. 

Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie is an underrated player and leader and his lifting of the Doddie Weir Cup was a heart-warming moment for his nation.This was the first time Scotland and Wales had played for the trophy since the passing of former Scottish Lions lock Weir after his battle with motor neurone disease. 

There was no doubt the hosts deserved to win as Kyle Steyn scored twice in the second half, his first coming from a supreme Russell offload. 

Blair Kinghorn and Matt Fagerson added to Turner's first to complete the rout as Scotland stayed on course for a grand slam and won the opening two games of a Six Nations for the first time. They have a lot to be excited about. For Wales, the immediate outlook is bleak.