Friends reunited as Tandy prepares to face Scotland
Steve Tandy and Gregor Townsend were part of Warren Gatland's British and Irish Lions coaching team in South Africa in 2021.
Wales head coach Steve Tandy is anticipating a reunion with his former Scotland colleagues at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Tandy served nearly six years as Scotland's defence coach before assuming the Wales head coach position in September 2025.
"Every game is emotional, and I've got a lot of friends and players who I've gone through a lot with after six years of coaching them," said Tandy.
"I'm grateful for that time in Scotland – the people, the fans, everything was outstanding.
"It will be a huge game for me, but no different to any other game we want to win.
"We want to put a performance in and it will be a special day because there are a lot of amazing memories from Scotland.
"We are ready to create memories in Wales now. It's my home nation so it has the potential to be even better."
Familiarity will not breed contempt
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will prepare his team to face a Wales side currently facing challenges, but Tandy acknowledges the mutual familiarity between the teams.
"They know a lot about me and I know a lot about the coaching staff," said Tandy.
"They were amazing and we went through a lot with World Cups and amazing moments in the Six Nations.
"They know how I go about things too but it's probably a case of not overthinking it and delving into too much detail, because you can outthink yourself."
Rather than working alongside Townsend, Tandy will now face his former boss as an opponent.
"It'll be great to see him after the game," said Townsend.
"We've been sharing messages, not many this week, but in the first couple of games.
"We think very fondly of Steve. He spent a long time with us, so he's been a big influence on our players.
"He was a massive help to me as a coach, and I'm sure after the game, whatever the result, we can have a few beers in the changing room."
Tandy added:
"It'll definitely be different!
"He was brilliant for me, taught me lots about international rugby, encouraged me to be better and helped my growth and development.
"He pushed me to be out of my comfort zone and I feel your best growth comes when you get uncomfortable."
Tandy's tenure with Wales has been challenging so far.
In six matches under his leadership, Wales have suffered five defeats, conceding 302 points and 42 tries.
Regarding expectations for Wales against Scotland, the nation that provided his international coaching break, Tandy said:
"The expectation is to be better than we were last week," said Tandy.
"We understand how good Scotland are as well, they beat England comfortably and should have beaten the All Blacks.
"It's there in black and white, we've only won two games in 25 so it's not going to come with a click of a finger.
"We believe in this group and if we are better than we were last week, I think will get closer to where we want to be."
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Can Scotland back up their England victory?
Scotland recovered from a defeat in Italy to defeat England 31-20 in last weekend's Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield.
This marked Scotland's fifth win in six games against England, though historically they have struggled to maintain momentum.
"Seeing them become the team they are is pleasing, and seeing them beating England was good," said Tandy.
"Any international sport when you win, there's an emotional high after what goes into the game.
"Scotland are a pretty experienced team. They've gone through those moments and I feel they've backed up games as well.
"The England game has always been huge for them. They have lost games where they had beaten England before, but they're aware of it and talking about it.
"I don't think that's a major issue for them."
Wales v Scotland, Principality Stadium
Saturday, 21 February at 16:40 GMT
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Will Wales break their Six Nations home losing streak?
Wales have lost 23 of their previous 25 Tests, including 13 consecutive losses in the Six Nations.
Their last Six Nations home victory was against Scotland in February 2022, when Tandy was Scotland's defence coach.
Since then, Wales have endured 10 straight defeats in the tournament at the Principality Stadium.
The closest Wales came to a Six Nations win in Cardiff was two years ago against Scotland, when they rallied from 27-0 down but narrowly lost 27-26.
Tandy was part of the Scottish coaching staff during that match and recalls the game vividly as Scotland secured their first win in Cardiff in 22 years.
"That game, when we were at 27-0. I remember being in that Scotland dressing room, and then once something clicked into gear, then everything changed," said Tandy.
"The crowd changed - everything changed.
"Scotland, at the time, had two or three yellow cards in that game, which shifted the momentum of the game completely."
Tandy hopes this weekend his current team will emerge victorious.
