FREE at last, but for how long?

The axe was hanging over the neck of Wales coach Steve Hansen prior to the game against Scotland last Saturday, but victory following success against Romania has enabled him to go to the World Cup in charge.

Make no mistake, Hansen's position was in some jeopardy before the Scotland match following the debacle against England which took Wales' losing run to a record 11 games.

And it wasn't helped by the four-letter word outburst on television which preceded that England game.

But Hansen has saved his neck by winning two in a row, though I find some of the sudden tacit approval of the coach and the squad by people like Eddie Butler and Jonathan Davies nauseating.

The week before, Hansen and his team were being called just about everything.

But did you notice the sort of approval given to Hansen by WRU group chief executive David Moffett? It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

There is a plan and it's got to be delivered, he said. And that, you can be sure, means reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup by beating Canada, Italy and Tonga in the pool stages.

I know everyone from Moffett to Butler to Davies is now backing Wales and we've all got to be positive, but what if Wales don't make it to the quarter-finals?

Don't forget that after the England humiliation, there weren't many who would back Wales to reach the last eight.

Since then Wales have beaten a poor, pathetic even, Romania side and have got the better of an unimpressive Scotland team after spending most of the match on the defensive.

Sure, confidence has improved after that but it's almost as if one or two are getting carried away on the back of two not particularly impressive results.

Moffett expects Hansen and the team to deliver, and so do the Welsh public. But, I repeat, what if Wales don't make the quarter-finals? What happens to Hansen then?

I think he's still skating on very thin ice and while approval has been given, even if he was under contract, it wasn't exactly the open book variety.

But, on the other hand, if Hansen's methods of heavy conditioning work right up to and through the August internationals followed by plenty of rugby and ball work in the next month actually pays off then he will return to Wales with reputation enhanced.

He has been accused of largely ignoring the August games because they got in the way of his preparations.

So which will it be for Hansen - hero or villain? I wouldn't particularly bet either way. For me, the jury is still very much out.