Wales Rugby Nation Amid Challenges
Wales head coach Steve Tandy, a former Ospreys flanker and coach, affirms that Wales continues to be a rugby nation despite concerns over potentially empty seats at the Principality Stadium for the upcoming Six Nations match against France on Sunday.
Thousands of tickets remain unsold for Wales' three home games against France, Scotland, and Italy, reflecting the ongoing difficulties Welsh rugby faces both on and off the field.
Wales has suffered 22 losses in their last 24 internationals, including a record 12 consecutive Six Nations defeats. The recent 48-7 defeat to England marked Tandy's fourth loss in five matches since assuming the head coach role in 2025.
"I think it tells me we're a rugby nation with all the disappointment there has been," said Tandy.
"Everybody wants us to be back at the top of the table, but ultimately that's going to take a bit of time.
"It [Welsh rugby] is not in a great place at the minute, but I believe we will get there.
"It's going to take everyone, not just the players, coaches and supporters, to play their part to try and get us back to where we want to be as a nation."
Amid the turmoil, including tens of thousands of unsold Six Nations tickets, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) faces financial concerns as more than half of its revenue depends on gate receipts from men's home internationals in Cardiff.
Criticism has been directed at the WRU leadership, with a multi-millionaire businesswoman describing the union as being in a 'civil war' and calling for the chair to resign.
For context, the lowest attendance for a Wales home Six Nations game against France was 63,208 in 2022 during a Friday night match. In contrast, the same fixture two years later on a Sunday drew 71,242 spectators. The smallest attendance for a Welsh home Six Nations game remains 58,349 against Italy in 2002.
Wales has not won a home Six Nations match since beating Scotland in February 2022. Their only tournament victory since then was against Italy in Rome in March 2023.
"The fans are amazing, when we've had them there in the stadium and the well-wishers outside of it," said Tandy.
"Whenever I see people, they want the team to do well, the players want to do well too, and us as coaches, we want the nation to be the best it can be.
"We're in a different part of our cycle at the minute, and patience [is needed].
"Every team tends to go through it, and probably for us being a smaller nation, when you're going through that, it might take a little bit longer."
Wales v France Match Details
The Wales versus France Six Nations match will take place at Principality Stadium on Sunday, 15 February at 15:10 GMT.
Captain Dewi Lake Leads Wales
Wales captain and hooker Dewi Lake, who will leave Ospreys next season to join Gloucester, retains his position despite criticism following Wales' ineffective line-out against England.
"The game is hard and we aren't going to make knee-jerk decisions," said Tandy.
"Dewi is our captain and leads from the front. People can come in for some stick without often understanding the full detail of what it is.
"You then have to examine the areas for which he is getting stick. If it is around the line-out, there are lots of things that can be different, like the call or opposition.
"There was never a doubt in my mind about Dewi playing this weekend."
Tandy also condemned personal abuse directed at players on social media.
"The only time I get aware is when people tell me things," said Tandy.
"I've never been on social media and never searched for something, whether it's good or bad.
"People will give me the information, I've got young kids as well.
"I want to be aware for the players, because I know lots of that is ridiculous because these are human beings.
"It's having an awareness of what's going on, making sure you can help those, but also be aware you're in high-end sport and international rugby."
Tandy acknowledged the scrutiny the team faces.
"I don't need people to tell me when we didn't perform, I totally understand that, and feel I'm a very honest person," said Tandy.
"I spoke to players about outside influences not influencing us.
"There is disappointment, and we love our support, and we want to make the country proud of how we play.
"We've got to give everything we can, and make sure we can be the best we can be, any time we represent the Welsh jersey."
Team Changes and Player Recalls
For the upcoming match against France, Tandy has made four starting personnel changes while maintaining confidence in captain Dewi Lake.
Wales has recalled players Hawkins and Cracknell for the France visit, and centre Brau-Boirie is set to make his debut for Wales.
Recalled player Francis expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to contribute to the team.
Defensive Challenges and Coaching Plans
Since Tandy's appointment, Wales has conceded 248 points and 34 tries over five matches. Tandy has been managing both head coach responsibilities and defensive coaching, a role he previously held with Scotland and the British and Irish Lions.
Assisted by former Wales flanker Dan Lydiate in defense, Tandy acknowledges the challenge of balancing these duties.
"When I first came in it was making sure I had the right people in the room," said Tandy.
"I am passionate about defence and enjoyed doing it with the head coaching role.
"It is then about making sure you don't spread yourself too thinly. We are constantly assessing and reviewing it and it is a big demand."
Currently, Tandy's permanent backroom staff includes only Danny Wilson and Matt Sherratt. He anticipates appointing a dedicated defence coach ahead of the Nations Championship starting in July.
"It's something we've been looking into for a while, making sure we get the right people in our coaching team," said Tandy.
"At the start we had Matt (Sherratt) and Danny (Wilson) come in.
"We went through a process there and it is something we are looking into and we are hopefully going to get in place for the next campaign."
