Tag: sports

• Welsh Domestic Rugby Season Review – 2025-2026

  Welsh Domestic Rugby Season Review – 2025-2026

  In what has started to become a familiar pattern for Welsh rugby, results in Europe ended primarily with Round of 16 appearances while in the URC, results fluctuated between the bottom and middle of the table. However, given the off-field uncertainty in Welsh rugby, all four teams should be commended for what they have achieved.

  Cardiff

  URC: 6th, Quarter-Finals

  Europe: Challenge Cup Round of 16

  Overall Grade: B

  Cardiff were largely written off early following the departure of Matt Sherratt, but even more optimistic fans wouldn’t have expected them to get as far as they did. Under Corniel van Zyl, Cardiff largely changed identities from a fast attacking side to a defensive team that’s very hard to beat at home; they lost one game all season in both competitions (the Scarlets derby) and were joint third in the URC for tackle completion (2% behind first place) and second for tackles made. This was also a statistical improvement on last season, where they had statistically the best defence in the league.

  The difference was more than numerical, though. Off the field, Cardiff have been largely successful with player retention and international representation, each speaking to the club’s solid standing at regional level. While Scarlets fell far behind their impressive showing last season, Cardiff stayed around the same place up until the end, beating most of the teams in their ball park consistently (granted, most were home games). Wins against Leinster and Stormers showed they could win the war of attrition against the top competitors, and very few games (Glasgow, Bulls, Exeter, and arguably Ospreys in the winter) looked like hopeless endeavours. Overall, if rumours of new signings prove true, Cardiff could well be on the up.

  Player of the Season: Tough call, with the playmaking axis of Callum Sheedy and Ben Thomas having improved considerably from last season, but Dan Thomas’ stats speak for himself. Top of the league for tackles made, near the top for turnovers, and Cardiff’s primary breakdown threat, he won multiple PotM awards as he kept the team in the game. While his relentless workrate isn’t unique in the Welsh game, his impact was clear as he consistently made starting XVs over established internationals.

  Breakthrough Player: Rhys Barratt deserves a mention after a strong season where he supplanted Southworth and Domachowski with his consistent scrum and defensive workrate, but Tom Bowen easily takes this. Receiving multiple requests from past players to be upgraded to the Wales team, Bowen built upon his limited showings last season to become a recurring member of Cardiff’s deep backline. His flair for try scoring his backed by a strong kicking game and unmatched agility, and while he may be too green for the senior squad, he’ll be an integral part of the U20s campaign.

  Underrated player: Easy call; having spent most of the season on the bench, out of position, or otherwise overlooked, Ioan Lloyd more than grasped his opportunity in the 10 jersey come the end of the season. While he can’t match Sheedy’s overall playmaking ability, Lloyd is a pure triple threat with his much quicker running game; Cardiff’s attack is completely transformed when he hits the field. 

  Disappointing Player: While evidently strong enough to impress Tandy, Sam Wainwright hasn’t really kept up with Assiratti or Sebastian in the tighthead rotation. Of his 11 appearances, 4 of which lasted longer than 30 minutes, two of which being the Bulls and Exeter games where Cardiff’s setpiece really struggled. The Scarlets had one of the league’s stronger scrums last season, but Wainwright hasn’t really boosted Cardiff’s pack in the same way, though he has shown glimpses of his potential at times.

  Dragons 

  URC: 15th

  Europe: Challenge Cup Semi-Finals

  Overall Grade: B

  It wouldn;t take much to improve on Dragons’ poor last season, but Tiatia has taken clear measures to ensure the region has a path forward, and towards the winter they really started to show how the team had grown. Strong showings against Connacht and Scarlets made it clear that at their best, Dragons can be dangerous with ball in hand while grinding opponents down with their physicality, defensive workrate, and multiple breakdown threats. While their attack still has a ways to go, and they very much remain a hot and cold team (compare their wins to their obliterations by Benetton and Bulls), the culture around the team is far more optimistic.

  Of course, with how their European run ended, optimism is a justified response. After Cardiff and Ospreys fell short, few would’ve expected the Dragons to take down Top14 title contenders Stade Francais, yet they punched above their weight all the way to the semis against eventual champions Montpellier. Under Tiatia, the team has more than redefined their identity and while the loss of Aaron Wainwright will be felt, they’ve managed well without him , so it remains to be seen how their new signings can fill the void. 

  Player of the Season: Wainwright is probably Wales’ overall player of the season, so this is pretty straightforward. Though he’ll be missed, a lack of injuries and his team’s improved performance has allowed Waino to go out with a bang, finishing as one of the league’s top carriers despite also being away with Wales for large spells. Still, Ben Carter deserves an honourable mention for his work in leading the Dragons to this point, in addition to his defensive work being among the best in the league, and rightly being awarded for it.

  Breakthrough Player: With Wales’ scrum-half depth only getting older, Che Hope looks to be the future of Welsh rugby in the 9 jersey. Though his appearances were limited by injury, those appearances were exceptional, keeping up with club internationals like Rio Dyer in attacking plays and briefly supplanting mainstay Rhodri Williams in the pecking order. Had it not been for his injury, he also would’ve certainly been involved in the play-off run in Europe, but he’ll only be stronger for the experience next season.

  Underrated Player: Aneurin Owen doesn’t really feel like a “breakthrough” player given his consistent performances for the region, but as the quality of the Dragon’s game improves, he rises to match it. 1337 URC minutes played, and similar defensive stats to the PREM’s Nick Tompkins certainly paints a strong picture of his abilities, and at 25, a Wales call-up seems likely at this rate.

  Disappointing Player: Though somewhat unfair given his injury profile, Mackenzie Martin was one of the few new signings for Dragons who didn;t really click, and he doesn;t appear to have been offered a contract by either Cardiff or Dragons to remain. Harrison Keddie and, of course, Wainwright, knocked him far enough down the pecking order to limit his minutes, with him only making 4 appearances and only one lasting 80 minutes. Without injury, it’s unclear how he may have faired, but ultimately, he wasn’t really needed.

  Ospreys

  URC: 11th

  Europe: Challenge Cup Round of 16

  Overall Grade: C

  It was more of the same for the Ospreys, but given the lengthy injuries dealt to Morgan and Lake plus the incredible adversity faced off the field, that is still an achievement. Barring their one-sided demolitions to Leinster and Munster, their URC run was marked by their usual tendency to punch far above their weight, taking down Ulster and winning the Welsh Shield off the back of their consistent derby victories (only losing once to Cardiff away).

  Still, their usually powerful scrum was the least powerful in the league; although Botha and Henry are comfortable winning scrum penalties, the scrum wasn’t the weapon it usually is, and the lineout wasn’t much better. Mark Jones has made some signings to try and cope with the considerable exodus of starting players; not just Lake and Morgan, but Jack Walsh and James Fender are notable departures. Where the team goes from here is the big question; disruption is inevitable, but if the Ospreys are anything, it’s resilient.

  Player of the Season: James Ratti won almost every end-of-season award for the club, and it’s easy to see why; consistently making powerful carriers into opposing defenses, it’s something of a surprise not to see him in the wider Wales squad. He looks more comfortable as a blindside than a lock, where he can focus on taking lineouts and punching holes. His physicality being a big point of difference in a relatively small Ospreys backrow, he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

  Breakthrough Player: No clear choice here; Ryan Smith easily wins signing of the season for the club, while Lewis Lloyd could develop into an international hooker and will only get more opportunities with Dewi Lake’s departure. Iestyn Hopkins wins this time, though; playing 4 times the number of minutes he usually does, and some impressive attacking achievements in that time too. With Dan John and Tom Rogers joining, he’ll relish the competition for starting spaces at fullback.

  Underrated Player: Usually overshadowed by his Wales international cousin, Steffan Thomas has been a real asset to the Ospreys’ scrum in Gareth’s absence. He’s the kind of prop that seems to be a rare breed in Wales; not particularly outstanding around the park, but a solid brick wall in the scrum that provides a platform for the rest of the pack. Usually behind Gareth and Garyn Phillips, he’s taken real strides forward this season.

  Disappointing Player: It was a good start, but Ross Moriarty didn’t really stamp out a place in the Ospreys’ starting squad by the end of the season. This is another case where there isn’t a clear option, but much hype was had when 50+ cap Moriarty signed only for him to be replaced by 3 non-internationals. Jac leaving will likely earn him more gametime, but he’ll need to work his way back in. 

  Scarlets

  URC: 14th

  Europe: Champions Cup Pool Stage

  Overall Grade: D

  There was a general sense of optimism this season for the Scarlets, who made playoffs the season before and entered as the predicted strongest Welsh region, but it didn’t take long for the warning signs to start. Winless in the first block, they bounced back quickly only to go back to losing ways in the Welsh derbies. Bringing in Nigel Davies helped get them a more solid foundation, and they certainly threw some punches against elite European opposition Pau and Northampton, but it wasn’t enough for any really tangible “win” this year. A draw with Dragons in their final game left them with some dignity, but there are plenty of problems to fix.

  Sam Costelow’s long-term injuries didn;t help, as it exposed the Scarlets’ plan to play the season with only one out-and-out senior fly-half; it’s a position too important to under-invest. Rumours of Gareth Anscombe’s return are appreciated, as are the numerous New Zealanders aiming to bolster the very Aotearoa-filled Parc y Scarlets, but a drastic change in strategy will be most important of all.

  Player of the Season: The Scarlets really like New Zealanders, don’t they? I was aware of Fletcher Anderson as an up-and-comer with Canterbury, but the impact he’s had on the Scarlets’ gameplay has been the highlight of their season. He only joined in the winter, yet found himself near the top of the carrying charts and was a constant get-out-of-jail-free card when the Scarlets needed a momentum generator. If the Scarlets played well, chances are he was a MotM contender. The Ospreys haven’t managed to keep Jack Walsh, but Anderson could be a real project player for Welsh Rugby.

  Breakthrough Player: Costelow’s absence was felt, but Carwyn Leggatt-Jones certainly held his own despite still being in his teens. While not to the same level as his influence at U20s level, Leggatt-Jones more than filled in with consistency at the tee and strong game management despite his inexperience. Josh Morse has also done well to have played as much as he has, though the Scarlets’ scrum was a pale image of last season’s strength.

  Underrated Player: A special mention to Archer Holz, who has kept the experienced Henry Thomas out of the 3 jersey and won MotM against Zebre, but Jarrod Taylor also deserves his accolades. Not a first-choice player, but always managed to find a way to contribute; over the ball, carrying into contact, and scoring plenty of tries. Yet another victim of the Scarlets’ persistent disciplinary issues, but has proved worth the price.

  Disappointing Player: Taine Plumtree seems to generate yellow cards wherever he goes nowadays, but his drop-off from last season is much less felt compared to Marnus van der Merwe. Strong enough to earn a Springbok call-up last year, Marnus quickly fell behind the returning Ryan Elias and never really got back in, though he was still a constant threat over the ball. He’s one of those valuable squad players who can bolster the set-piece, but when the Scarlets were struggling, he didn’t really do much to rejuvenate the pack.

  Welsh URC Team of the Season

  1. Rhys Barratt
  2. Ryan Elias
  3. Javan Sebastian
  4. James Ratti
  5. Ben Carter
  6. Fletcher Anderson
  7. Dan Thomas
  8. Aaron Wainwright
  9. Johan Mulder
  10. Dan Edwards
  11. Tom Bowen
  12. Ben Thomas
  13. Eddie James
  14. Rio Dyer
  15. Angus O’Brien

  2026.06.14

• Wales vs France Review – Six Nations 2026

  Wales vs France Review – Six Nations 2026

  Wales 12 – 54 France

  Despite the scoreline, this was a much improved performance from Wales overall, but the gulf in class was evident from the opening minutes of the game. France were too strong, too fast, too clean and too creative for Wales to earn enough opportunities to catch up from the visitors’ early lead. Dupont and Jalibert were a level above Williams and Edwards in game management, enabling France to utilise their French Flair to its fullest capacity and dominate on attack, scoring on almost all of their 2 entries.

  Where Wales need to improve is clear. Tandy has already announced plans to introduce a new defence coach in time for the Nations Championship, but the argument to fast-track one is strong enough; they can’t go a game without conceding 50 points, with France making 17 line breaks and beating 34 defenders. At half time, Wales’ tackle success rate was at (approximately) 67% and while they closed it to 80% by the second half, this is not enough for them to be competitive against teams of this calibre. There comes a point where simply complimenting the other team’s attacking structure isn’t enough of an excuse; twice France scored from cross-field kicks that Wales were completely unprepared for, and while their opponents aren’t as dominant in this area going forward, its an area Wales desperately need to shore up.

  Still, credit where it’s due for how the team responded to last week’s crushing defeat. Several players grew into their respective jerseys and make strong cases for persisting with them going forward. Meanwhile, the set piece was solid and consistent throughout, with the scrum holding strong against one of the best packs in the world and the dreaded lineout achieving 100% success. And after an embarrassing 16 penalties in the opening half of last game, 9 were conceded across all 80 minutes, only 3 more than France, far closer to the standard expected from international players. There’s a lot of work to do, but the small gains have to matter in the long run.

  Player Ratings

  1: Rhys Carré 7

  A strong showing overall. Usually valued less at scrum time than Nicky Smith, the Saracens man held strong against a powerful French pack and provided good showings in attack capped off by a deserved try. Consistently got the ball going forwards, which was a luxury Wales were rarely afforded

  2: Dewi Lake 5

  Lake was much better in terms of discipline and lineout throwing, but his defensive work was less flattering. He missed 4 tackles, far below his usual standard, and generally seems to epitomise what Wales do wrong in a lot of their recent matches. Came off earlier than usual, though it was an improvement over his previous form.

  3: Tomas Francis 5

  The only player with a real discipline issue in this game, but Francis more than made up for it with the scrum, steadying well against Jean-Baptiste Gros. Made some reasonable carries, too.

  4: Dafydd Jenkins 6

  Not one of his better games, but overall Jenkins contributed well on both sides of the ball and was the main lineout operator, a role he’s likely better suited for than Mann or Beard. Won a turnover too.

  5: Adam Beard 3

  Usually, a strong lineout his a sign of Beard having a good game, but he undid the work from last week with the decision to try and grubber a ball past Jalibert that lead to a French try. Beard didn’t really do much around the park besides limit Wales’ attacking opportunities with errors, and given Tandy’s reaction, he’ll be lucky to stay here.

  6: Aaron Wainwright 8

  Very much a three-way race for Wales’ best performer, but Wainwright takes it given his relentless drive to get over the gainline. Usually weaker than his backrow colleagues on defence, he was actually solid in this area despite being thoroughly outplayed by Bielle-Biarrey at one point. The most important man in the backrow besides Jac, and Tandy should probably appreciate that.

  7: Alex Mann 5

  Not normally an openside, and didn’t really slow down France’s ball much. Still, was Wales’ top tackler and made a lot of carries despite his smaller frame. A constant workhorse, but Wales need more power and breakdown skill from their 7.

  8: Olly Cracknell 4

  Highly rated by fans and pundits, Cracknell showed more of his limitations than strengths. Despite being a powerful carrier, Cracknell lacks the agility of other Wales 8s and was constantly evaded on defence, missing 3/11 tackles. Not much else to write about.

  9: Tomos Williams 8

  The driving force of Wales’ attack, Tomos was constantly under pressure but kicked consistently and was involved well on defence. Kept up performance-wise with Dupont, which is a huge statement, but clearly remains one of Wales’ best players even when struggling.

  10: Dan Edwards 4

  Not a great kicking game by comparison. Some more agility would’ve been helpful, as he fell off most of his tackles and couldn’t do much with ball in hand. Will have better games, but this wasn’t his best.

  11: Josh Adams 6

  Limited room to work with, but did well for the most part. Gutted to knock the ball forwards at the line thanks to Flament and Guillard, but was a solid presence on defence all things considered.

  12: Joe Hawkins 6

  A lot better on defence than usual from Wales’ 12s. Made some good plays and reads, but it wasn’t enough to gain go forward, especially compared to his centre partner. Should keep the kersey for next week.

  13: Eddie James 8

  Much better; really showed what he can bring on both sides of the ball. James has a broad and powerful skillset, as he brought pace and power in carries to consistently beat defenders. Strong defensive showing too, with 2 of his 8 tackles being dominant ones. His inexperience held him back a little, but it’s still early days for him at this level, so this was a big plus overall.

  14: Ellis Mee 6

  Good under the high ball, and his one break showed his carrying value, but wasn’t able to get into the game much. Defended against Bielle-Biarrey quite well, but was guilty of letting him score off a cross-kick he was completely unprepared for.

  15: Louis Rees-Zammit 7

  A lot of the same as last week. Topped the charts for meters carried, and pressured French defence well, although not enough to break them on his own. 

  BENCH

  16: Ryan Elias 4

  Lost control of the ball a little too often, but carried well otherwise and his lineout was decent.

  17: Nicky Smith 5

  Made some nice dominant tackles, and the scrum stayed strong, but Carré was a tough act to follow up.

  18: Archie Griffin 6

  More active in the loose than Smith, and generally performed better than Francis.

  19: Ben Carter6

  Game was effectively over, but Carter did well with limited material, with one good break and solid defensive work.

  20: Taine Plumtree 5

  Made some nice carries and broke his streak of cards, but his one break got held up over the line and nothing he did really impacted the game

  21: Kieran Hardy N/A

  More gametime than usual, but not a lot to rank. Almost botched a carry near the tryline, but his speed of service was good.

  22: Jarrod Evans 4

  Missed his one kick, though it wasn’t a great angle. Didn’t really speed up the attack either, but set up others well.

  23: Mason Grady 6

  Overpowered Bielle-Biarrey to bring him into touch, and finished a great passing maneuver for a try. Not much else he could’ve done.

  My Team for Scotland:

  1: Rhys Carré

  2: Dewi Lake

  3: Tomas Francis

  4: Dafydd Jenkins

  5: Ben Carter

  6: James Botham

  7: Josh Macleod

  8: Aaron Wainwright

  9: Tomos Williams

  10: Dan Edwards

  11: Mason Grady

  12: Joe Hawkins

  13: Eddie James

  14: Ellis Mee

  15: Louis Rees-Zammit

  BENCH

  16: Liam Belcher

  17: Nicky Smith

  18: Archie Griffin

  19: Rhys Davies

  20: Olly Cracknell

  21: Kieran Hardy

  22: Jarrod Evans

  23: Tom Rogers

  Scotland aren’t as physical as France, but they still have numerous threats out wide and in the midfield to keep up a powerful attack. All doubts that Scotland’s past achievements were behind them were quickly quashed when they comfortably beat England from minute one, so Wales news to start off quickly and remain consistent for 80 minutes; they’re struggling to do either, but that’s how you beat Scotland. 

  Beard’s poor performances once again see him replaced with more dynamic forwards. Botham comes in at 6 and Macleod comes in at 7; this is assuming Scotland field a similar backrow that they brought against England (Ritchie, Darge, Dempsey). Matt Fagerson is more of a carrying threat, but the former combo will make the breakdown a real contest, so Wales need to prioritise this area. The bench spot is tricky, but Cracknell should help counter Brown or Fagerson coming off the bench.

  I’ve also re-jigged the back three a little; Adams has been solid on defence, but doesn’t really have the pace to compete with high-end wingers, and probably needs a break after successive 80 minute performances. Grady’s size and speed should be enough to fend off Steyn while challenging him in the air, while Tom Rogers can cover the back three from the bench.

  2026.02.16

• Wales vs England Review – Six Nations 2026

  Wales vs England Review – Six Nations 2026

  England 48 – 7 Wales

  With England’s far stronger Autumn campaign and ominous form, most people were expecting a clear victory for the hosts to kick off their campaign. And they were right; England took the lead in just about every area, and were far more clinical and composed in their opportunities compared to their less disciplined opponents.

  For what it’s worth though, Wales did generally improve on last year’s embarrassment; tactically, they had a better idea of how to approach the game, and there were fewer awful performances and more solid ones. No one really stood out, though, and with a dire scoreline at half time, no one would be forgiven for expecting the sins of the past to drag them back into another demolishment.

  Both sides had moments of non-thought and ill-discipline, but Wales’ were more frequent and more costly, and their attack wasn’t ruthless enough to compensate. There’s no quick fix here; this is just the gap between both teams at the moment. There are tweaks to be made going forward that might be enough for Wales to bounce back later down the line (especially with how weak Ireland and Scotland were in their own opening matches) but with things as they are, the team will need to do better than that to avoid the Wooden Spoon.

  Player Ratings

  1: Nicky Smith – 3

  Against his Leicester partner, gave a poor account of himself in the scrum war. His yellow card was the deserved result of Wales’ constant penalty woes rather than his own weakness, but from one of the team’s more constant players this was not a great showing.

  2: Dewi Lake – 3

  Has come under fire for his lineout throwing, which was actually solid this game, but everything else was not. As leader, his own showings of poor discipline and mental fog did little but hold the team back for the first half, and his illegal maul takedown earned him a deserved yellow. Better second half, but there’s no coming back from that at this level.

  3: Archie Griffin – 7

  By default, the best of the front row, but Griffin generally gave a strong showing. Struggled in the scrum without his captain, but put in a solid shift around the park to compensate, making all 11 of his tackles. Couldn’t ask much more of him against a pack of England’s quality.

  4: Dafydd Jenkins – 4

  One of my favourite players here, but this was an underperformance. 3 penalties is below his standards, and while he topped the tackle charts as expected, his usual game intelligence evaded him as he also missed 3. Needs to to a little better

  5: Adam Beard – 6

  It’s weird to be lauding a player for achieving a 6/10, but with how much criticism he’s come under Beard actually had a pretty solid game. Underutilised at the lineout, he remained a notable presence around the park, making 9 tackles and 4 carries. Probably keeps his spot next week.

  6: Alex Mann – 5

  Did a good job winding up Ellis Genge and earning a penalty, and put in a nice shift on both sides of the ball, but ended up being taken away to accommodate the yellows. Quieter than his teammates as a result

  7: Josh Macleod – 6

  Not exceptional, but still belongs at this level. Great work to win a turnover and gave England consistent difficulties throughout his time on the pitch, aided by some decent carries, but England’s backrow has 3 7s and he’s not at their level.

  8: Aaron Wainwright – 7

  Pure workhorse, and arguably Wales’ best performer. Beat 5 defenders, and actually looked a match for the world class Ben Earl. Not enough power to keep them in the game, though.

  9: Tomos Williams – 6

  Needed more speed out of the ruck to counter England’s physicality, but kept a decent level of control when Wales had possession and was a persistent defender.

  10: Dan Edwards – 6

  Good kicking performance, especially for Josh Adams’ try, but was defensively a lot weaker. Can’t take all the blame for how comfortably Freeman and Dingwall made dents in the centrefield, but certainly could’ve done more.

  11: Josh Adams – 5

  Not a lot of opportunities, but took them well. Good account of himself under the high ball and scored the only try, but Wales couldn’t get nearly enough ball to him.

  12: Ben Thomas – 2

  Thomas’ festive season showings looked promising, but he self-destructed here. Missed 2 of his 6 tackle attempts and made persistent errors, like his brainless pass attempt to Rees-Zammit and his eventual yellow. Shouldn’t keep this jersey.

  13: Eddie James – 6

  Showed his potential with some strong carries, but Wales just couldn’t give him the ball enough. Good defensive shift too, missing none of his tackles when Wales hated defending the midfield.

  14: Ellis Mee – 5

  Not enough attacking plays, but was quite good under the high ball. Mee is certainly a player with potential at this level, but with how Wales are relative to the other Six Nations sides, they need to give him enough room to work with.

  15: Louis Rees-Zammit – 7

  Made a mistake in coming offside and completely flubbed one high ball; generally looked a little green at fullback at international level. Still, his one break showed his quality, and was much better under the high ball than Blair Murray in the Autumn, countering a powerful spiral bomb from Ford. Should stay here going forward.

  BENCH

  16: Liam Belcher – 4

  Could’ve given him an N/A given how little he really impacted proceedings. 1 carry and 1 tackle in 23 minutes, not his trademark workrate

  17: Rhys Carré – 6

  Deserves a decent score for a decent game. Constantly got Wales moving forward with ball in hand and made a case to start again the massive France pack. Didn’t help the scrum much, though.

  18: Tomas Francis – 5

  Quite anonymous, but nice to see him back on the test arena. Added some stability to the scrum when Wales needed it, but didn’t bring Griffin’s level of workrate.

  19: Ben Carter – N/A

  Should’ve probably been called in earlier given his defensive skills

  20: Taine Plumtree – 6

  Has had his fair share of yellows, but this one was harder to avoid given Pollock was mid-dive. Added a lot more dynamism in attack when Wales were lacking, and makes a case that the bench is his best position.

  21: Harri Deaves – 6

  Like Plumtree, minus the errors for the most part. Some strong carries and good defensive work, though England had Wales beat by that point and Deaves couldn’t do enough on his own.

  22: Keiran Hardy – N/A

  Tomos was pretty good, and with Dewi struggling, his leadership was needed. Hardy probably isn’t getting much gametime if this pattern persists.

  23: Mason Grady – 6

  Like Plumtree and Deaves, had the energy to match England and gave them a real challenge in the carry, but couldn’t reverse England’s momentum.

  My Team for Next Week:

  1: Rhys Carré

  2: Dewi Lake

  3: Tomas Francis

  4: Ben Carter

  5: Dafydd Jenkins

  6: Olly Cracknell

  7: Josh Macleod

  8: Aaron Wainwright

  9: Tomos Williams

  10: Dan Edwards

  11: Josh Adams

  12: Joe Hawkins

  13: Eddie James

  14: Ellis Mee

  15: Louis Rees-Zammit

  BENCH

  16: Ryan Elias

  17: Nicky Smith

  18: Archie Griffin

  19: Rhys Davies

  20: Freddie Thomas 

  21: James Botham

  22: Kieran Hardy

  23: Mason Grady

  Besides dropping Thomas for Hawkins, the backline did decently well for what they were given, so I’ve kept the system the same. Grady could start for some extra physical energy, though he offers more utility in the 6-2 split. Otherwise, power will be needed against the strongest team in the Six Nations, while aerial control remains a focus as France try to expand into this area of their game. Maintaining territory will be critical; possession and consistency in the 22 can give us the tools to keep France on the backfoot, as Dupont and Bielle-Biarrey will smell blood if Wales’ errors persist.

  The front rows swap as they have both the larger size and generally the strongest form after this weekend’s battering. I’d swap Lake and Elias if I could, but that probably won’t happen so it can stay as is. Mann and Deaves had strong games, but France have no problem overwhelming smaller backrowers, so Botham and Cracknell get in to help mitigate that. 

  Beard could’ve stayed, but I can justify giving Dafydd another chance as the locks will need to be more abrasive, and Carter has been in good form while Rhys Davies is overdue a spot. Freddie Thomas is an interesting one, as I would have him take Cracknell’s place at blindside; not his usual position, but he also provides a powerful carrying platform and should bring dynamism off the bench; his size and more consistent discipline gives him an edge over Plumtree, as Botham compensates for the lost versatility.

  2026.02.08

• My Six Nations 2026 Predictions

  My Six Nations 2026 Predictions

  The Six Nations timeline is a weird one. After the Autumn tests, it feels a long distance away, but over the Christmas period that time dissolves so quickly, and then squad announcements are on the horizon. I can still remember headlines and stats from the previous year’s tournament, and now I’m looking forward to see how those change on 2026. So for some fun, I wanted to run through some pre-week 1 predictions for the upcoming Six Nations.

  End of Season Standings:

  6: Wales

  On the plus side, Wales don’t really have much to lose here. On the field, at least; off the field, Wales are losing even harder, but they’ll still be nowhere near Italy’s “achievements” in the late 2010s even with a 3rd successive winless season. Tandy is still trying to rebuild Wales to a team that can compete with the Top 10 of World Rugby, and while the Autumn had some clear positives, these clearly aren’t issues that can be fixed within the first 3 or so campaigns.

  Wins over Scotland and Italy, which certainly aren’t achievable given their own problems, would do a lot to alleviate the pressure surrounding the squad, but with limited depth and experience Wales are likely to be working from a disadvantage from minute one. Tomos Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit are world-class, but the entire squad needs to buy in if they are to avoid the Wooden Spoon; they’ll need to own contestable high balls and front up physically to do so.

  5: Italy

  Italian rugby is on the rise again, but for what it’s worth this tends to happen a lot only for the Six Nations to give them some form of reality check. Quesada’s men need to aim for 4th as a benchline; anything less is a mark of little progress, and with Ange Capuozzo and Edoardo Todaro injured, their backline generally looks weaker than other sides. Still, Italy can leverage the advantage when opposing teams underestimate them, as Scotland can attest to.

  Much like the next team, that opening game will define their season. They lack the depth to handle the top sides, so their gameplan will likely boil down to breakdown control and territorial kicking thanks to Paolo Garbisi, while Brexoncello provides attacking threat in the midfield. It’s weird having their most important fixtures on both sides of the tournament, and we could see a completely different Italy by the end.

  4: Scotland

  Where are Scotland right now? Probably not in a good spot; after falling off against Argentina, they got booed out of the stadium by their own fans, and if they drop the ball again against Italy in Rome, their season is likely already over. That being said, they have a lot more going for than the previous two sides; Glasgow are arguably the form club in Europe, and they can certainly give England a scare. But Townsend seems to have taken the team to its limits, and it’s hard to bank on them scoring higher.

  We could see a reshuffle of the established guard with some newer players coming in. While the squad is relatively old, players like Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie have been in excellent form, and could come in on the bench or the XV should their skills be considered too valuable. Gregor Brown is also likely to be invaluable as a bench player, as Scotland’s 6-2 split could be incredibly dangerous.

  3: Ireland

  Where are Ireland right now? Probably fine. Still, Andy Farrell’s team need to show signs of transition with both their aging player pool and less-unanswerable strategies slowly fading out of the top spaces. They certainly have the talent to do so, and the selections of Edwin Edogbo and Nathan Doak show that Farrell has this partially figured out, but how he plans to use these players will define Ireland’s future style.

  With so many prop injuries as well, we probably won’t see the same level of scrum dominance, not helped by two of the stronger teams this time being great scrummaging sides. For Week 1, they’ve made some big decisions, like dropping James Lowe and putting Prendergast in charge at 10. But ultimately, it;s hard to gauge Ireland’s strength with how little is known about their current form; they should at least be stronger than they were in the Autumn, but challenging the top two seems to far out of reach.

  2: France

  Between the two strongest sides, it was very close. But after a relatively disappointing Autumn, the way France have approached this tournament feels like a big gamble; either they shape the future of their team in time to be World Cup contenders, or they fumble to England and go back to the drawing board. By trying to adapt to international trends, opportunities have opened up for different players like Theo Attisogbe and Anthony Jelonch, but how well they replace established stars is as of yet unclear.

  Galthie has confirmed that this is only the team for the first week and not the full tournament, implying players like Romain Ntamack could be called upon later. Plus, Bordeaux and Toulouse are producing players as strong as ever. If Jalibert and Dupont can link up well, they could be near-unplayable. If Mickaël Guillard can nail down a starting position that allows France to balance physicality with breakdown success, they could dominate collisions easily. But right now, these are unanswered questions, and it’s hard for a team with lots of unknowns to challenge for titles.

  1: England

  England are really scary. At the end of 2024, they were generally disappointing, losing to Australia and New Zealand by close margins and entering the 2025 Six Nations expected to finish 4th. And after that first game dropped to Ireland, they’ve bounced back to be one of the strongest sides in the world. With a consistent gameplan in mind, they can push just about anyone aside, and no one has really found a consistent answer to their depth and quality.

  France would be the ones to do it, with elite internationals like Antoine Dupont and Louie Bielle-Biarrey who can potentially break their gameplan apart. England don’t really reach the same highs, but trade that for versatility; they can mix up their backrow for any opponent, they have 3 elite international fly-halves, they have two different backlines with different skillsets to exploit defensive faults (Steward-Arundell-Roebuck for aerial control, Furbank-Feyi-Waboso-Murley for raw pace and playmaking etc.). It won’t be as flashy as France’s attack, but they should have everything they need to close out games. At least, provided Duhan doesn’t immediately destroy them again somehow.

  XV of the Tournament:

  1: Ellis Genge – will only further his claim of being the best prop in the Northern Hemisphere, especially if England win the Grand Slam. His carrying game will be difficult to stop and give England consistent advantages.

  2: Dan Sheehan – feels a comfortable distance above the other hookers, but hasn’t necessarily been in the best form. Marchand will put pressure on him, but Sheehan is just too instrumental to Ireland for him to not have good ball.

  3: Zander Fagerson – France and England will be busy testing each other’s scrum while Fagerson provides Scotland with a platform to thrive. Has well and truly recovered from injury, and will get valuable unseen work done.

  4: Thibaud Flament – is generally in better form than similar players, though up-and-coming teammate Mickaël Guillard will undoubtedly be an important part of France’s campaign like last year. Brings a more athletic edge to France’s forwards that few can replicate.

  5: Dafydd Jenkins – a bold prediction, with Wales being far from favourites and the other teams having locks with similar abilities, but Jenkins could really come into his own with the right support. Will be near the top of the tackle charts regardless.

  6: Cian Prendergast – with Peter O’Mahoney retired and Ryan Baird injured, it’ll be between Prendergast and Conan to claim this jersey for the tournament. And with the former’s youth and consistent regional form, he has plenty of room to cement his place in time for the World Cup.

  7: Sam Underhill – Earl may outperform him, but Underhill currently holds the England 7 jersey and his work at the breakdown will be valuable to regain possession and slow down France and Ireland’s ball. Carries harder than most 7s.

  8: Jack Dempsey – in excellent form for Glasgow, and should help carry Scotland through the more physically demanding contests. Has a strong all-around game, and while the shape of Scotland’s backrow may change, he will certainly be a part of it.

  9: Antoine Dupont – self-explanatory, but deserves a campaign where he starts all 5 games uninjured. France’s best weapon, so if they win, his inclusion will speak for itself. Jamie Dobie might be one to watch, though.

  10: George Ford – between him and Finn Russell, as unlike Ireland and France, they’ll nail down the starting jerseys more consistently. Finn hasn’t really peaked this season, and while he may be conserving his energy for the Calcutta Cup, Ford has been competing with the best for almost a year now. Could actually claim to be the North’s best 10 by the end.

  11: Louie Bielle-Biarrey – the obvious and boring pick, but he just keeps scoring tries. Will enter the top 10 of France’s all-time try scorers at 22 years old if he scores 3 more, and he has 5 games to do it. Seems a safe bet he will.

  12: Tommasso Menoncello – the clutch factor in Italy’s wins, and there shouldn’t be much competition besides Sione Tuipulotu. That first game may be an important decider, but Menoncello is never invisible, so expect him to continue in this spot.

  13: Tommy Freeman – what better way to own the transition to 13 than to beat out players like Huw Jones and Ignacio Brex to this spot? It’s a big ask, but with what he’s done already for Northampton, it’ll at least make for an interesting story.

  14: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – arguably England’s best winger, and would have staked his claim easier if not for injuries. Needs a big statement to own the 11 jersey.

  15: Thomas Ramos – may end up as the top scorer, with his attacking prowess taking on a new role in an evolved French kicking game. As last year showed, France can put teams down in violent fashion, and Ramos will capitalise on every second of it.

  Try of the Championship:

  A weird one to “predict”, but if there’s been a trend in try highlights lately, it’s been props scoring from outside the 22, and no one is better equipped for this than Ellis Genge. Against who is a tough call, but if his repeated Player of the Match awards in the PREM and his form on the Lions tour proved, he could score some exceptional tries, and it would be interesting to see a prop beat out the wingers for this award.

  Player of the Championship:

  Nominees:

  Ellis Genge: England

  Antoine Dupont: France

  Jack Dempsey: Scotland

  Tommasso Menoncello: Italy

  Winner: Antoine Dupont

  If France win, it will inevitably come down to something Dupont has done or assisted with. While Jalibert may take some playmaking duties away from him, he remains one of the best players in World Rugby, and has had no problems winning this accolade in the past.

  Top Try Scorer: Immanuel Feyi Waboso 

  Freeman was the headline among England’s backs last season, but with his move to centre, Feyi-Waboso will likely aim to be their top finisher. While he faces stiff competition from previous record holders Louie Bielle-Biarrey and Jacob Stockdale, as well as in-form Kyle Steyn, his aerial work and sheer pace should see him high up the charts.

  BKT Rising Player Award: Kalvin Gourgues

  While Depootère will likely start ahead of him this season, Gourgues may be equally equipped as a bench substitute who can turn the pace of the game near its end with his pace. He’s already had a trailblazing start to his career with Toulouse, who have more than enough high-quality centres to drown him out, and he could easily push his way into the 23 with some consistent performances.

  Miscellaneous Wales Predictions:

  1: Louie Hennessey will earn his first cap, albeit from the bench

  2: Louis Rees-Zammit will start at least one game at fullback

  3: The Scotland game is won (by either side) by less than one score

  4: Sam Costelow will come off the bench instead of Jarrod Evans for at least one game

  5: Jac Morgan will be called into the camp for rehab, possibly appearing against Italy

  6: Tom Rogers will be Wales’ top try scorer

  2026.02.04

• My Wales Squad – Six Nations 2026

  My Wales Squad – Six Nations 2026

  After a mixed Autumn campaign and some interesting results at club level over the festive period, Tandy will be announcing his squad for the upcoming Six Nations. Among regional uncertainty, Wales will need to compete with an in-form England, full-strength France, still-growing Italy, as well as Ireland and Scotland, who’ve had their struggles in 2025 but still possess the strength and depth to compete with the best. Understandably, Wales are likely to finish in the bottom half of the standings.

  With England and Ireland away from home and France still being so strong, Scotland and Italy will be Wales’ best chances at ending their Six Nations losing streak. Still, it’s not all bleak; Wales ultimately improved as the year progressed, and while significant issues remain, their performances against Ireland and Scotland last year show enough promise that a victory is certainly achievable.

  General Playstyle:

  Overall, Wales played with the expected tactics; a playmaking 12, a team that can carry with agility and mobility over power, and a high ruck speed. Still, they fell apart defensively compared to their opposition, the lineout needed refining, and they were comfortably defeated in the air. Fixing these issues starts with selection.

  While Wales scrum improved overall (before being demolished by a more powerful South Africa pack), Wales aren’t really in a position to compete with top sides physically. For reference, what is generally agreed to be France’s strongest backrow (Cros, Olllivon, Alldritt) consists of 3 players who are at least 110kgs; across all of 2025, only Taulupe Faletau and Olly Cracknell are that large among Wales’ used backrowers. That’s not getting into the likes of Meafou and Antonoi, who are even larger again. Wales simply lack the options to compete in pure size (besides Rhys Carré and Dewi Lake), but mitigating this gap as much as possible will be a notable priority in selection.

  Wales also missed far too many tackles, leaving them vulnerable against the well-organised attacks of their opposition and almost cost them the game against Japan. More dominant tackles need to be achieved, as well as better openside cover as Wales were very quiet at the breakdown without Jac Morgan.

  As a final note, with Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake, and Aaron Wainwright so far confirmed to be leaving the Welsh regions, Tandy may need to prioritise Wales-based players to accommodate their elite internationals when they move overseas and keep a sufficient number of players in camp during international breaks.

  Props: 

  While Wales struggle for quality in this area, there was a considerable improvement at scrumtime to suggest it’s getting a little easier, though depth remains an issue.

  Loosehead is relatively straightforward; Nicky Smith remains one of the strongest scrummaging props in the Gallagher PREM, while Rhys Carré is an incredibly powerful carrier who makes great use of his size. It’s less a question of who will play and more of who starts. The third spot is more debatable; Gareth Thomas has held this position for a while now, but his performance dropped considerably in the autumn, while Danny Southworth and Garyn Phillips have put on excellent performances over the winter. Thomas’ injury will keep him out until the end of January, but with his experience and defensive work, you’d be surprised if he’s left out of the squad.

  Tighthead is the same old problem, though Assiratti has more than established himself as the first choice now, which at least solves that headache. His scrummaging work held out well against even the larger packs like New Zealand, and his carrying remains solid. Archie Griffin will continue to develop, but Christian Coleman remains injured after being taken off against South Africa.

  As almost all of the other candidates I’d consider are injured, the return of Tomas Francis from Provence is a major boost to Tandy. While he won’t leave France until next season, he has expressed an interest in continuing his Welsh career, and his size and ability to anchor a scrum is unmatched by Wales’ other props, especially as he has had far more gametime for high-flying Provence so far this season. Henry Thomas is his closest equivalent based in Wales, while Sam Wainwright and Rhys Henry offer younger options.

  With 2 out of 3 props on both sides of the scrum being based in the PREM next season, it isn’t ideal, and Southworth and Thomas could be called up to camp for training purposes, but with the limited options available, I think these selections strike the right balance of experience, scrummaging, and around-the-field prowess.

  My Choices: Nicky Smith, Rhys Carré, Gareth Thomas, Kieron Assiratti, Archie Griffin, Tomas Francis

  Injury/Training Cover: Danny Southworth, Henry Thomas

  Hooker:

  Dewi Lake remains one of Wales’ best forwards, but his lineout remains a persistent problem. Still, it’s not as though Wales are blessed with excellent lineout throwers, especially with Elliot Dee out injured, and none of them really compete with Lake over the ball, at the scrum, or in the carry. Liam Belcher is maybe not the largest option available, but he offers the most like-for-like replacement for Dee; his darts have been good so far for Cardiff, but his dynamic carrying is his point of difference. 

  Brodie Coghlan was the third man in the autumn, and while he has returned from injury, he’s barely played since November. Therefore, calling in a different player may be preferred. It’s between Evan Lloyd and Ryan Elias for me; Lloyd is the faster and more dynamic option, and though young, has clearly identified potential to be a superb international, while Elias has over 40 caps to his name and has been consistently strong for a struggling Scarlets side.

  Elias just takes it on his better defensive work and slightly more consistent darts, but neither excels in this area and Lloyd or Coghlan are similarly viable alternatives.

  My Choices: Dewi Lake, Liam Belcher, Ryan Elias

  Injury Cover: Evan Lloyd

  Locks:

  A combination of Dafydd Jenkons and Adam Beard was used in the autumn, but generally lacked dynamism and couldn’t resolve the lineout issues on its own. While both players retain their positions in my squad, as Jenkins is one of the most consistent players in the team and Beard’s experience and setpiece skills are invaluable, I think a new combination will need to be tested to physically compete with other teams.

  Ben Carter and Rhys Davies are generally stronger carriers into contact, and while neither can match the size of players like George Martin or Emmanuel Meafou, they can knock down defensive lines to create space for other players. Both have been in great form for Dragons and Ospreys respectively, and both are very consistent tacklers, averaging around 90% tackle success rate with plenty of dominant tackles and turnovers. 

  Freddie Thomas has held this position in the squad for a while, but his lack of international gametime in the autumn doesn’t do much to defend him. With him being based out of Wales, it’s harder to justify his selection over Jenkins and Beard. If Beard is injured, however, we may see players like James Fender being called up, as his size and lineout skills make him a like-for-like option.

  However, for the experience he provides, I’ve selected Jake Ball; though not a long-term call, he provides a similar level of power up-front, while he acts as a second experienced option if Beard is missing. He can realistically push for a starting spot, but can also drive standards around camp to help Carter and Davies understand their roles.

  My Choices: Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Jake Ball

  Injury Cover: Freddie Thomas, James Fender

  Back Row:

  One of Wales’ deeper positions, though Jac Morgan’s injury means he will miss most if not all of the tournament, which is a considerable issue. While Wales have depth at openside, none of Wales’ opensides can match his all-around game, meaning that the backrow will need to be reshuffled to accommodate for it. Especially unhelpful is both Morgan and Wainwright’s announced departure from Welsh rugby; while Wales have good depth at regional level to support this, some players might be cut from future campaigns to ensure enough backrowers are available around camp.

  Still, Wainwright’s inclusion is a priority, as one of Wales’ best players, while Alex Mann should be retained for his Autumn consistency. He may not be the largest, but he provides a solid lineout and jackling option with his high workrate. Morgan Morse should also be retained; while he was limited to bench appearances in the autumn, he’s the full package on both sides of the ball and will only continue to develop.

  For the openside cover, Tommy Reffell should be recalled; while being based in Leicester will cause issues, his breakdown work and defensive consistency is hard to match, and he certainly has the experience required for the Six Nations. Josh Macleod could make a good deputy, though his tackle success rate so far this season has been relatively poor; 71% and 74% in both competitions. With how many tackles Wales missed last season, they may value James Botham’s physical edge and more consistent defence; while he isn’t a specialist openside, his versatility is very useful and his turnover rate is as consistent as Macleod’s.

  Olly Cracknell was also called up in the autumn, but with Morgan and Wainwright leaving Wales, he or Reffell may have to be dropped going forward. While Alun Lawrence or Morgan Morris don’t have the same power, the former is a very strong defender with a high workrate, while the latter offers more of a breakdown threat, and both are powerful carriers who are among their region’s better players. Lawrence’s more extensive gametime might edge him ahead, but either could work as a solid foil to Wainwright, making short and disposable carries that can aid Wales’ attack.

  Lastly, with Taulupe Faletau set to miss the Six Nations, Ross Moriarty’s international experience gives him the edge over Ryan Woodman; both can act as a stronger physical option to Mann, but with Lawrence uncapped and Mann, Morse, and Botham having under 20 caps, Moriarty can act as an extra carrying option who is certainly used to the physicality of the competition.

  My Choices: Alex Mann, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright, Morgan Morse, James Botham, Alun Lawrence, Ross Moriarty

  Injury Cover: Ryan Woodman, Josh Macleod, Olly Cracknell

  Scrum-Half:

  Tomos Williams is a nailed-on starter for as long as he is available, and his presence will be especially important without the talismanic Jac Morgan. Wales’ ruck speed was consistently high while he was on the field, and while he struggles to keep that quality high for 80 minutes, none of Wales’ present scrum-halves can compete with his game management and overall X-factor. Ball speed is crucial for phase-based attacking structures, which Wales will need to rely on against larger teams.

  Kieran Hardy hasn’t had the best 2025 at international level, but remains the strongest scrum-half based in Wales for his strong fundamentals and ability to effectively finish attacking phases. His performances over the festive period show how easily he can tear apart defences, while his kicking game continues to improve. Reuben Morgan-Williams backed him up against South Africa, but at regional level hasn’t really hit his usual stride, dropping him behind the others in the pecking order.

  However, Che Hope has entered the equation. Wales lack consistent quality among their younger scrum-halves, with no clear option to succeed Williams after the World Cup, but Hope has emerged as a serious contender following his exceptional performances for the Dragons over the festive period. While his game management isn’t at test-starting level yet, he can more than push Hardy for a bench spot and is someone Tandy must consider investing in.

  My Choices: Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy, Che Hope

  Injury Cover: Reuben Morgan-Williams

  Fly-Half

  Dan Edwards has started to lock down the starting 10 jersey, as he progressively looks more and more comfortable at test level. While Wales will need to build younger depth with players like Sam Costelow or Ioan Lloyd, Edwards’ game management has been far more confident and consistent than theirs, but his ability to make quick breaks and seize opportunities to score tries gives him a serious point of difference above other Six Nations fly halves, let alone Wales’ options.

  More experienced players will likely back him up, as Jarrod Evans fits well into Matt Sherratt’s attack system with his ability to cover 10 and 12. His gametime over the autumn wasn’t particularly vast but he made the most of his limited appearances off the bench, which will likely be his role as he struggles to lead games when starting. Whether or not he is replaced by Costelow going forward will likely depend on how he performs here.

  Callum Sheedy’s experience with the squad and his consistent playmaking skills for Cardiff narrowly earn him the third fly-half spot, as few of the other options compete with him in these areas, while his goal-kicking kryptonite factor has lessened as the season has gone on. Angus O’Brien is another option who can more easily cover 15, but there exist plenty of other players who can do the same and he lacks Sheedy’s defensive merits.

  My Choices: Dan Edwards, Jarrod Evans, Callum Sheedy

  Injury Cover: Angus O’Brien

  Centres:

  Wales persisted with their playmaking 12, hard-carrying 13 strategy throughout the autumn, though Ben Thomas was replaced by Joe Hawkins after failing to perform against Argentina and Japan. Both are likely to be retained, though Hawkins has mostly played 10 for the Scarlets and has struggled defensively, while Thomas is back to his best form for Cardiff and has won two MotM awards in victories over Ulster and Racing, so who starts remains to be seen.

  Eddie James will aim to push for a starting spot too, especially with Max Llewellyn’s injury. He has all the fundamental skills for test rugby, his large size and powerful carrying paired with a strong offloading game being his best traits, and will be an important player to develop for the future. Covering both 12 and 13, he might push the smaller Nick Tompkins out of the squad.

  Lastly, some specialist 13s will need to replace Llewellyn. Owen Watkin is the most experienced option, and given Hawkins and Thomas’ defensive struggles, he should get in. Between the younger options, Joe Roberts and Louie Hennessey, they offer a quicker paced option though neither are as effective on defence. Hennessey better fits the power that Tandy wants from his centres, so I’ve given him the edge.

  My Choices: Ben Thomas, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Owen Watkin, Louie Hennessey

  Injury Cover: Nick Tompkins, Joe Roberts

  Outside Backs:

  I’m keeping fullbacks and wingers together for the sake of this blog, as there will be considerable overlap compared to last time. While one of Wales’ deepest player pools for international-level quality, the back three didn’t always perform consistently during the autumn, in large part due to difficulties in managing the high ball. With Leigh Halfpenny retired and Liam Williams struggling to reach the standards needed from an international fullback, Wales need to resolve their issues with the 15 jersey and nail down their best combination of wingers as soon as possible to compete with the quality of Europe’s best.

  While he has spent the majority of his career on the wing, Louis Rees-Zammit has firmly established himself in the 15 jersey for Bristol since returning to rugby union, and in a position where he can maximise his touches and start attacks, he could be similarly deadly for Wales. Blair Murray may be an excellent attacker, but he has struggled massively in the air and this leaves Wales vulnerable to the high ball. He may still make it in based on his establishment in the system, as Wales don’t have any real competition for in-form fullbacks with Cam Winnett struggling and Jacob Beetham’s limited gametime.

  Meanwhile, Tom Rogers should be a safe bet following his excellent outing against the All Blacks, making rugby history and continuing to develop at this level. At regional level, Mason Grady has fitted into his new role as a winger exceptionally, making for a uniquely powerful carrying threat that can be difficult to answer, while Rio Dyer is back to his best form for the Dragons. Either makes for a viable partner to Rogers on the wing, and I’d be surprised to see either missing from the international setup.

  For the last two spots, it’s between the aforementioned Murray, the experienced Josh Adams, and the rising star of Ellis Mee. Ospreys’ Keelan Giles may also get in, but perhaps overlaps too closely with Murray. Adams has been an excellent servant to Welsh Rugby over the past 8 years, but has struggled to maintain consistency in recent seasons and is progressively threatened as more players rise to the challenge for their clubs. Ellis Mee can’t match Adams’ portfolio, and both have been in similarly strong form for their clubs, notable for Mee given how much the Scarlets have struggled, but he remains a player worth investment who can cover both wings and fullback, and possesses strong game-reading ability for a player his age.

  How Tandy feels these players will fit into his system the best will likely prove the deciding factor, and quality players will miss out no matter what. But with how well the Scarlets back-three axis worked last year, and with Rees-Zammit and Dyer having considerable international experience themselves, I’ve taken the risk of dropping Josh Adams to the injury list.

  My Choices: Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer, Blair Murray, Ellis Mee

  Injury Cover: Josh Adams, Jacob Beetham

  Summary:

  Wales may be underdogs, but there were enough strong performances over the festive period to suggest that the players are ready to compete at the Six Nations, especially with Cardiff and Ospreys’ European performances. While Wales had a difficult autumn on defence, they more than held their own in attack against their opposition, so Tandy will be aiming to build upon this in the Six Nations. In the opening two rounds of last campaign, Wales were criticised for their unimaginative and unmotivated attack; this time, it will certainly be different.

  Still, England and France being up first will no doubt present considerable difficulties; any positives gained from these encounters will be valued highly. Provided defensive shortcomings are managed, Wales have a solid shout at beating Scotland and Italy at home, but after the struggles of the past two years, any victory will be appreciated for developing Welsh rugby.

  2026.01.18

• Wales vs South Africa Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales vs South Africa Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales 0 – 73 South Africa

  So that was something…

  Though not as wide a scoreline as their 96-13 loss against the Springboks in 1998, this is the kind of scoreline that shows the gap between Wales and the top sides. Down some of their Japan-based stars like Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit, Rassie’s men showed why this kind of limitation doesn’t matter to them; barring some errors at the start, they were completely merciless towards Wales and had them beat in every category. Any areas which felt underdeveloped at the halfway mark of 0-28 were immediately cleaned up, and their bench meant that forward control remained consistent across 80 minutes.

  With how resilient Wales have been staring down some of the strongest sides in World Rugby this year, they were visibly rattled by the time the visitors scored their sixth try; nothing they did could hold them back as the Springboks’ gameplan was clear; move the ball quickly and carry hard into contact, wearing down Welsh stamina until they can go wide or make a linebreak. For the first half, the visitors held majority possession, and capitalised on that throughout the game as Wales lacked the resources to compete for 80 minutes. A sour note to end what looked like an optimistic campaign.

  On a pettier note; why did we play this again? It’s understandable that this fixture was arranged back in 2017 when Wales were, unbelievable as it is to imagine in today’s climate, better than South Africa, but the WRU can’t genuinely believe that such a fixture will develop players in the long-term when they are this far behind their opposition. This Autumn, Wales have played, by relative power, 3 of the 5 strongest teams in World Rugby, and the obvious impact these losing streaks can have on the players seems to be ignored. There wasn’t much more Tandy or his men could do here, and the only hope going forward is that the team can put this mauling behind them, put in solid shifts for their clubs, and come back stronger for it with a plan for the Six Nations. But from an outside perspective, this felt like a waste.

  Player Ratings:

  1: Gareth Thomas 3

  Not an improvement from last week. The Boks may be intimidating opposition, but his immediate struggles at scrumtime put Wales on the backfoot from where they never really recovered. Was also sloppy at the breakdown and invisible on attack.

  2: Dewi Lake 6

  One messed up lineout hampered what was otherwise a solid evening despite the odds. Lake had a significant impact on both sides of the ball and fought deep into the game, showing the kind of passion expected from the captain.

  3: Keiron Assiratti 5

  A disappointing outing, but fair play given how long he had to stay on field. Never backed down and the scrum stabilised eventually, but this was not his game in the end. Can at least end the autumn with credit in the bank after his last few performances

  4: Ben Carter 6

  One of Wales’ most underrated players, and though he couldn’t impose himself against the larger Springbok pack, he didn’t miss a beat with his tackles. Kept a characteristic level-head and threw out some big hits where needed, though he’s been more dominant in the past.

  5: Rhys Davies 4

  Was hyped up for his strong carrying and abrasive playstyle, but barely got the ball and was generally outshined by everyone else. Not what he needed to prove his value to the squad.

  6: Taine Plumtree 4

  Couldn’t stamp out his discipline issues nor really manage the Springboks’ physical onslaught. His tackle-rip on Kwaga Smith was nice, but looked out of his depth at the breakdown

  7: Alex Mann 6

  Weak first half, but grew into the game and generated some turnovers for Wales. Likely won’t wear this jersey much going forward, but in context, he had a great game given the unwinnable physical battle and his lack of experience.

  8: Aaron Wainwright 7

  Wales’ best player overall; even that nasty eye injury couldn’t hold him back as he injected energy into the forward pack with ball in hand. Would;ve also been higher up the tackle chart if not for his injury, as he made the second-most tackles per minute of anyone involved. Becoming instrumental to the squad if he wasn’t already

  9: Kieran Hardy 4

  Is not Tomos Williams. Which isn’t an issue in and of itself, as Williams is a world-class scrum-half, but the difference in speed of ball was felt and South Africa had no trouble predicting his runs and capitalising on the breakdown. Whenever he slipped up, it was noticed.

  10: Dan Edwards 4

  Couldn’t control the game nearly as well as usual, and utterly botched on restart. Distributed well for the most part, but was targeted on defence and yielded too often.

  11: Rio Dyer 7

  He’s still got it; was consistently involved in Wales’ attack and actually put in a solid defensive shift with 9 tackles. His kick-chase skills kept the pressure on, though Ethan Hooker outplayed him for the former’s try.

  12: Joe Hawkins 4

  Probably wished he was playing for the Scarlets this week; poor defensive work with a 67% tackle rate and got tangled up with Roberts more than you’d expect given their experience together. Kicked well to be fair.

  13: Joe Roberts 5

  Same problems as Hawkins, but brought a little more on attack with his carries. The Springboks just had more than enough class in the midfield to manage anything he could output, however.

  14: Ellis Mee 5

  A mixed performance; on attack, he was energetic and solid under the high-ball, keeping the pressure on otherwise strong performances from Canan Moodie and Damien Willemse. However, he was turned over too frequently and largely outplayed on defence. Good potential, but has room to develop at this level.

  15: Blair Murray 6

  His best outing of the autumn, as he consistently played with energy and beat 4 defenders as South Africa were pressured to check him. Still struggled under the high ball, but if Tandy wants to persist with him at fullback, he seems to be developing the measures to make it work.

  BENCH

  16: Brodie Coghlan N/A

  Made a pretty solid carry and Wales’ final maul looked promising, but not enough to analyse.

  17: Danny Southworth 4

  No match for the gigantic Asenathi Ntlabakanye at the scrum, and while he made a decent carry, didn’t really impact the game much.

  18: Christian Coleman N/A

  Was injured almost immediately after entering the field, forcing Assiratti back on. Will need to wait longer to show his untapped potential

  19: James Ratti N/A

  Not much difference between him and Rhys Davies

  20: Morgan Morse 6

  Chased Canan Moodie well given he’s a forward, and almost caused his try to be voided as a result. Kept up with Wainwright when covering for him, and generally showed why he should be invested in going forward.

  21: Reuben Morgan-Williams 4

  Quicker service rate, but ran into the same problems as Hardy; Wales’ breakdown was completely destroyed by the time he hit the field and he couldn’t get enough work done to fix it.

  22: Callum Sheedy 4

  Brought a bit more in attack than Edwards, but far from error-proof as his awkward wide pass showed. Not much more he could do beyond distribute.

  23: Ben Thomas N/A

  Could’ve been interesting to see his potential at 15 if Wales weren’t so far on the backfoot.

  2025.12.01

• Wales vs New Zealand Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales vs New Zealand Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales 26 – 52 New Zealand

  Following the disappointing outing against Japan last week, Wales desperately needed to show some signs of promise under Tandy, as far too many question marks remained going into two very dangerous fixtures against the All Blacks and Springboks. Fortunately, as that scoreline may suggest, Wales’ attack got firing once again. This is only the second time in their history they’ve scored 4 tries against the all Blacks, and while a weaker team than the New Zealanders typically field, Wales have actually achieved a lot of what they set out to do – instill some hope.

  For 60 minutes, this was not a one-sided game. Tom Rogers’ hattrick brought the game to 21-24, and the atmosphere of the Principality could be felt as Wales looked capable of performing what would’ve been one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s professional history. Nevertheless, it wasn’t to be. But after looking dismayed, out-of-focus, and unstructured against Japan, Wales looked a lot more like an international rugby team with an identity and gameplan; moving the ball quickly out of the rucks, chasing the high-ball, and bringing real pace with ball-in-hand.

  But inevitably, they were not the team with something to lose, and New Zealand were just too hungry and too experienced for the hosts to handle. Discipline and defence, similarly to the Argentina game, just weren’t on the level of the opposition, and despite Mann, Deaves, and Plumtree’s solid ruck skills, no ruck turnovers were won by Wales as they finished with half the visitors’ possession. The backrow didn’t quite have power to win rucks, and as a result couldn’t slow down the All Blacks’ ball speed, giving them the opportunities to score 7 tries. With the squad now missing their players based out of Wales for the Springboks clash, achieving a similar result with a weaker squad will be Tandy’s goal, but this game has given the team a good foundation to build upon.

  Player Ratings

  1: Rhys Carré 3

  A game to forget for the loosehead, who didn’t hold out defensively as he missed 4 tackles, giving away tries to Ruben Lova and Tamaiti Williams. His trademark power didn’t really shine through, and he struggled in the scrum against the less experienced Pasilio Tosi, though he almost got a try of his own with a strong carry.

  2: Dewi Lake 6

  Lake has had a weird autumn so far, as in the loose he remains as effective as ever with 20 tackles and some strong carries. But his issues at the lineout haven’t straightened up, and as he matures at test level, you’d expect it to be less of an issue than it has been. 

  3 Kieron Assiratti 5

  A few penalties held him back, but otherwise held out in the scrum against the much larger Tamaiti Williams. Made some strong tackles, but not much else as the hosts’ couldn’t physically impose themselves in this game.

  4 Dafydd Jenkins 8

  Slightly generous, but one of his best games yet. His signature workrate was as apparent as always, with 21 tackles, but he also read the game very well, with his charge down catching the visitors’ defence off guard. Seems to get better the more he plays, and showed why he needs to be involved with Wales somehow.

  5 Adam Beard 5

  Did a lot more work at the lineout than he has been, but the lack of notable improvement is beginning to raise questions about his place in the starting XV. Not that he’s a bad player, but he doesn’t bring much that the all-rounder Jenkins doesn’t already, and Wales really needed a stronger enforcer here.

  6 Alex Mann 6

  Less dominant than in the first two weeks. Still tied for most tackles completed at 21, but also missed 4 and couldn’t make a mark in the ruck. Was one of the players penalised for errors at the breakdown.

  7 Harri Deaves 6

  With how much power New Zealand threw at Wales and this being his first cap, he made a good account of himself with some very powerful tackles. Still, he couldn’t win anything at the breakdown and was outplayed by Ruben Love for the latter’s try. Has some work to do to surpass other 7s in a competitive jersey for Wales.

  8 Taine Plumtree 4

  A mixed bag; on the one hand, he made 21 tackles like Jenkins and Mann, which is extra impressive with his more limited gametime, but the reason for that was his awful discipline. Plumtree conceded 3 penalties and was carded at an inopportune time for the hosts, showing he still has some work to do to establish himself as a starter.

  9 Tomos Williams 7

  His box-kicking has developed a lot since he became the starting 9 for Wales, and his precision helped Wales out tremendously on attack. Controlled the game brilliantly and made a relatively impressive 14 tackles, though didn’t make any carries or assist any tries directly.

  10 Dan Edwards 7

  Kicked very well, putting pressure on the top-tier All Blacks backline while he set up Rogers’ first try with an excellent offload. His smaller frame didn’t help him on defence, but his aggressive playstyle paid off as he’s very much established himself in this Wales XV.

  11 Tom Rogers 9

  His best game yet, becoming one of only 4 players to score a hattrick against the All Blacks. Holding up Will Jordan’s try required solid skills, though he hasn’t fully fixed his defensive concerns by moving out of position a little too often. There’s little else he did wrong however, and he can be expected to remain in the starting XV somewhere going forward.

  12 Joe Hawkins 6

  Needed a good game to show how he could surpass Ben Thomas, though it was more of a mixed bag as he missed 6 tackles on his first international game since 2023. On attack, however, his distribution skills were best shown with his excellent pass to Max Llewellyn to set up one of Rogers’ tries, and he kicked well for the most part too. Should be trusted with this jersey against South Africa.

  13 Max Llewellyn 6

  Did well to assist 2 tries and made some good defensive reads, but his discipline held him back and even his frame couldn’t make a physical impact against the All Blacks. Has ended the Autumn with extra credit overall, however, and other 13s will have work to do to supplant him.

  14 Louis Rees-Zammit 8

  A big improvement after last week, with his one try being very deserved with his contributions on attack throughout the game. Kick chases, three line breaks, and 82 meters carried gives a good account of his attacking prowess, and while gaps remain in his overall game, will be a crucial player going forward.

  15: Blair Murray 5

  Still struggled under the high ball, but was protected a lot better. Beat 3 defenders and looked as dangerous as ever with ball in hand, but also missed 3 tackles. With how much he’s contributed throughout the year, it’s a shame the majority of talk will be about his waning future at fullback, and Tandy will have to re-consider his place going forward.

  BENCH

  16 Brodie Coghlan N/A

  Dewi Lake played a lot of rugby today, and for the Gwent man’s first cap, he barely had any work to do in the 4 minutes he was given.

  17 Gareth Thomas 2

  2 penalties for the same tackle infringement and a yellow card within the first 5 minutes of coming off the bench are simply not acceptable errors from a player with Thomas’ experience and usual class. Given he’s likely to start the next test, he needs to turn around his performance drastically against a very dangerous Springbok pack, as being sent off had a visible impact on Wales’ structure in the second half.

  18 Archie Griffin 4

  Also a weak performance, as he struggled to handle the experienced George Bower in the scrum and was stood up. Put in a solid defensive effort though.

  19 Freddie Thomas N/A

  Not much gametime, which has been an unfortunate theme for him given he’s played all 3 tests. Clearly has something to give the Wales squad, with his more effective carrying game, but is usually only brought in when the game is wrapped up.

  20 Morgan Morse 6

  Made more carries-per-minute-played than any other player, and he’s clearly a more physical influence in 7 than Deaves. Didn’t have much time to show this however, though the few meters he made helped give Rees-Zammit his try.

  21 Kieran Hardy 5

  Didn’t pass the ball to the other team. It’s hard to look effective as a scrum-half replacing Tomos Williams, but Hardy did his job well when the team was on the back foot and will likely start next week as a result.

  22 Jarrod Evans 4

  Harsh score, but was outplayed by Sevu Reece for the latter’s second try and missed his conversion attempt. Will miss the next game unfortunately, but this game showed his struggles when his team are behind.

  23 Nick Tompkins 6

  The only bench player to really contribute positively, which is impressive given he replaced Wales’ best player at that point. Effective on both sides of the ball, but not enough to really turn the tide by himself. Another breakdown specialist who couldn’t handle the All Blacks’ power.

  My Team for South Africa:

  1. Gareth Thomas
  2. Dewi Lake (C)
  3. Kieron Assiratti
  4. Rhys Davies
  5. Ben Carter
  6. Alex Mann
  7. Morgan Morse
  8. Aaron Wainwright
  9. Kieran Hardy
  10. Dan Edwards
  11. Blair Murray
  12. Joe Hawkins
  13. Joe Roberts
  14. Rio Dyer
  15. Tom Rogers

  BENCH

  16. Evan Lloyd
  17. Danny Southworth
  18. Christian Coleman
  19. James Fender
  20. Harri Deaves
  21. Taine Plumtree
  22. Reuben Morgan-Williams
  23. Jacob Beetham

  With some new call-ups added to the squad following the departure of outside players, I’ve picked a team that can prioritise physicality and limit the Springboks’ influence at the breakdown as much as possible. Experience determines the front-row and lock combinations, as Carter and Davies are both comfortable in physical contests against South African teams. Assuming Aaron Wainwright is fit, there isn’t enough room for James Ratti, as Deaves is trusted to come off the bench and provide a solid defensive performance as he did against the Stormers and Bulls in the URC. I’ve also selected Evan Lloyd ahead of initial squad member Brodie Coghlan, as while there isn’t much in it, Lloyd is larger and a bit more dynamic in his carrying, making the bigger difference with the more limited minutes the 16 jersey is likely to have.

  Joe Roberts joins the XV as the only out-and-out 13 in the squad, while Tom Rogers moves to fullback and Murray moves to the wing for the aerial contest. Jacob Beetham and Ellis Mee are good options too, but experience is the deciding factor against a more well-honed Springbok side. I’ve opted for a 6-2 bench as well to prevent the forwards from being too exhausted by the Springboks’ physical contests, and Beetham can play everywhere except 9 anyway. 

  2025.11.24

• Wales vs Japan Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales vs Japan Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales 24- 23 Japan

  After the Argentina game pressure was on Tandy to rally the squad after that performance and improve key areas of the game.There, Wales had a very solid attacking structure undermined by poor aerial control and inconsistent defence, which the more experienced Argentina side were able to adapt to and capitalise on. While few adjustments were made, Wales’ signs of promise suggested we may see a more dominant performance against a side of similar standing like Japan.

  We didn’t.

  By all accounts, Wales probably shouldn’t have won this; Japan had 6% more possession and two-thirds of the territory. Only poor discipline and inexperience gave Wales the opportunities to win this game; to their credit, almost every entry to Japan’s 22 gave Wales a try, but getting there seemed nigh-impossible at times. Almost no energy, dynamism, or coordination in attack left the hosts forced to rely on individual success just to get across the field, as they couldn’t win the aerial battles to kick for territory or outpace Japan’s defenders reliably enough. The squad looked even lower on confidence and determination than against Argentina, against a team that’s only beaten the latter once in their entire history.

  But still, in the last 10 minutes, Tandy’s bench pulled through; Japan’s final entries to Wales’ 22 were turned around into a brilliant across-the-field play from Wales, and a final maul gave them the penalty needed for Jarrod Evans to take it back. But still, Wales shouldn’t need to be in these situations; these players have played better games against far more experienced, clinical, and well-rounded teams than Japan, but the adjustments made were insufficient to match-up against Jones’ men. Japan lost the game by their lack of experience finishing their work; Wales won it because they knew they needed to in order to avoid an even lower low than has been playing them all-year. They’ve edged into the top 12 for the Rugby World Cup seedings, but against New Zealand and South Africa, serious improvements will need to be made if Tandy is to reinstill hope in this team.

  Player Ratings:

  1: Nicky Smith 6

  Good scrummaging, though he couldn’t force many errors from Japan. One big dominant tackle stood out next to his otherwise underwhelming effort without the ball, though he’s becoming a better carrier.

  2: Dewi Lake 5

  Wales’ lineout comfortably came out second best, and while his defensive work was very reliable, the blame has to fall to Lake for Wales’ errors here. The team didn’t really look as though they had the drive to win, which doesn’t paint a particularly good picture of his captaincy either, though his past record means he’ll likely retain it going forward.

  3: Archie Griffin 6

  The scrum was generically good for Wales, and Griffin made a more considerable account of himself on defence than Smith. As one of the less experienced players in the squad, he more than keeps up with what has been a surprisingly consistent pack.

  4: Dafydd Jenkins 6

  Brought a bit more of his usual workhorse nature to this game than the last; made the second most amount of tackles than anyone else on the pitch, and got a lot out of his limited carries, though his penalty following Nick Tompkins’ try took the wind out of Wales’ sails for a while.

  5: Adam Beard 5

  Helped out a lot with the defence, making 14 tackles, but given that he played 80 minutes you’d expect more work from an international lock; that’s the same tackle-per-minute score as Tomos. The lineout was messy, and given his skillset you’d have expected to see more from him in this area.

  6: Aaron Wainwright 5

  I don’t really know what to do with Wainwright; he made more tackles per minute than everyone besides Cracknell and when he got the ball in hand, he made good progress. But in both areas, he also made a few big errors, which stood out with how few errors Mann and Cracknell made. 5 might be a bit harsh, but the competition for backrow spots is tight and he needs to tidy up if he is to be retained.

  7: Alex Mann 8

  The poor guy kept getting battered by all of Japan’s illegal tackles, but he knew what Tandy needed from him and he delivered. The most consistent lineout operator and made some notable tackles, he more than kept up with Cracknell on both sides of the ball.

  8: Olly Cracknell 9

  The official man-of-the-match, Cracknell epitomised what Wales actually did quite well; he made 27 tackles and while he may have missed a few, he was one of the only players offering themselves as a powerful carrying option. Never timid on either side of the ball, he’s made a solid case for this jersey going into the Six Nations.

  9: Tomos Williams 7

  One very dumb penalty hindered what was otherwise a solid performance. Tomos assisted all 3 of Wales’ tries and maintained a notable kicking presence which kept Japan on the backfoot out of Wales’ rucks. Led quite well during his brief stint as captain too, which may need to be a part of his game for Wales going forward.

  10: Dan Edwards 7

  Better kicking game, especially next to Seungsin Lee’s mixed performances. His opening try could’ve been a great momentum-starter had the rest of the team pulled their weight to a similar extent. Not the next for controlling the game yet, but he’s steadily growing at this level, and it’s great to see.

  11: Josh Adams 2

  The best aerial operator of the outside backs, not that it’s a particularly high bar. A few decent attempts at carrying doesn’t overshadow his weak defensive performance and a completely idiotic error that led to a red card. Adams has been making too many mistakes at this level, and it’s questionable if he should start as often as he does.

  12: Ben Thomas 3

  Did little else beyond shuffle the ball to other players, and was under considerable pressure in his own channel. Looked as though he didn’t know how to go forward, and after his weak performance last week, will be lucky to be retained next week.

  13: Max Llewellyn 5

  A better showing than Thomas, with some reasonable carries and game-reading, but never really made a significant impact. Compared to his more well-rounded showing last week, he hasn’t really done much to show his potential at this level

  14: Louis Rees-Zammit 6

  A mixed bag; I can’t rate Zammit too lowly when he’s beating 8 defenders in a single game, and his one break down the field gave Wales significant progress on defence. Still, his defence and aerial game looked very rusty, and he needs to add some more “us” to his “me” game to re-attain his past form. Not reading plays particularly well.

  15: Blair Murray 3

  Yet again, a poor aerial performance which didn’t enable him enough carrying to show his good qualities. It’s hard to justify persisting with him as a fullback at this stage; Japan’s backs comfortably had his number in the air and he got turned over way too often for any of his plays to mean much.

  BENCH

  16: Liam Belcher 6

  That driving maul was incredible, and Belcher certainly made an impact in his strangely limited time on the field.

  17: Rhys Carré 6

  He’s always been second-best to Smith at the scrum, but more than kept up after he took over the loosehead role. Made a lot more considerable carries, so the bench spot looks like the role for him going forward.

  18: Kieron Assiratti 6

  Didn’t outshine Griffin, but played like a man hungry for revenge after his poor performance in the summer, making the most of his limited time on the field. Decent tackle rate against an elusive Japanese side.

  19: Freddie Thomas 5

  Once again, barely got to play, and you question what Tandy expects him to bring off of the bench. His limited work looked solid, however.

  20: Taine Plumtree 5

  Made a turnover, which is nice. Didn’t really outshine the otherwise underwhelming Wainwright, as his own errors held him back.

  21: Kieran Hardy N/A

  I think Tandy was nervous about making him play against Japan again.

  22: Jarrod Evans 8

  Won the game with a very confident penalty kick. We may have seen some more flourishes had he been brought on earlier, but did everything he needed to do, so he earns a high score for such little time.

  23: Nick Tompkins 7

  Brought immediate impact as he scored a try shortly after replacing Adams. Quietened down a bit after that, but like Jarrod, did exactly what was asked of him.

  My Team for New Zealand

  1. Nicky Smith
  2. Dewi Lake
  3. Archie Griffin
  4. Rhys Davies
  5. Dafydd Jenkins
  6. Alex Mann
  7. Morgan Morse
  8. Olly Cracknell
  9. Tomos Williams
  10. Dan Edwards
  11. Rio Dyer
  12. Joe Hawkins
  13. Louie Hennessey
  14. Louis Rees-Zammit
  15. Jacob Beetham

  BENCH

  16. Liam Belcher
  17. Rhys Carré
  18. Kieron Assiratti
  19. Freddie Thomas
  20. Aaron Wainwright
  21. Kieran Hardy
  22. Jarrod Evans
  23. Nick Tompkins

  I’ve wielded the axe quite a bit, as I hope and somewhat expect Tandy to do the same. While cohesion was valuable for a must-win game like Japan, we need players who perform even more, and the current setup just isn’t working right now. Notably, the midfield is completely swapped for Hawkins and Hennessey, who are younger players but have high ceilings than Thomas and Llewellyn in the long run – they’ll need gametime at some point. Dyer and Beetham complete the backline to replace underperforming players, as they possess the necessary qualities to perform their role at test level, though they’ll need to step up to perform against New Zealand.

  I’ve added Rhys Davies to the XV in place of Adam Beard, with Jenkins moving to fulfill the latter’s role in the set piece as he did during the Six Nations. Davies isn’t really a “stronger” carrier than Jenkins, but his more abrasive contact style can be valuable in the breakdown, with our limited options at 7. He’s more of a conventional enforcer than Jenkins. I’ve also reshuffled the backrow to try and give Morgan Morse an opportunity at 7, as his athletic carrying gives us more options to earn ground. His ruck work also takes pressure off Mann, as Wainwright and Cracknell don’t really pull their weight as much here. Wainwright’s strong carrying gives him a bench spot, though Plumtree might challenge him.

  2025.11.16

• Wales vs Argentine Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales vs Argentina Review – Autumn Nations 2025

  Wales 28 – 52 Argentina

  Feels strange to say that, given we lost by 24 points and conceded 7 tries, this felt like a gain overall for Wales. At no point did it feel as though we were going to win (not helped by a genuinely weak start) but like Italy vs New Zealand last year, it was a defeat where Wales felt capable of challenging one of the world’s strongest teams. After the game, both Dewi Lake and Steve Tandy mentioned they felt it was a 50/50 performance, and given they’ve only been together for 2 weeks, that’s an achievement in and of itself against a more experienced Pumas side who’ve been playing consistently since June.

  The start though, may have cost us in the long run. At times, Wales looked dejected and struggling for air against a relentless bombardment of kicks and rucks, and one might have wondered if a stronger beginning could have kept them more fired up. It was hard to see a 14 point lead in the first 10 minutes, and some of the younger players looked unconfident. Others rose to the occasion, and I’ll cover player ratings later, but overall Argentina were simply far more clinical; every Welsh mistake had an effect on the game, while Wales needed to work a lot harder for their scores.

  Overall, is this a disappointing result? Wales didn’t click as well as I expected, so I suppose it qualifies, but I don’t think it’s anything to be alarmed about. Defence will need to improve against more free-flowing teams like New Zealand and Japan, the former of whom can put 50-60 points on stronger sides than Wales, but if we keep up this level of power, we should still beat the latter. Argentina had every advantage going into this game besides the homefield; physically larger, better aerial options, far more experienced players (how often do teams get to field two centurions of Montoya and Matera’s quality?), more in-form players coming off of the Rugby Championship, and far more to lose had they fallen short.

  You can’t call it anything other than a mixed bag for Wales, but the trolls and doomsayers are far off the mark; we can work with this.

  Player Ratings:

  1: Rhys Carré 5

  Hyped up to be a sizable carrying threat, but he only managed 5. Less so his fault, but he was generally underutilised in a game where his physicality was needed. Didn’t really scrummage well either.

  2: Dewi Lake 7

  A strong carrying game, Lake brought his typical gameplay to a fairly average degree. Not a bad game for him, but his lineout errors still haven’t faded entirely, and he really needs to stamp those out if Wales’ lineout is to be a weapon. The try takes him up a point.

  3: Kieron Assiratti 7

  Weirdly good game; a very criticised player for his lack of positive impact and mediocre scrummaging, but he held out every scrum against Vivas and made a better carrying effort than usual. Showed he does in fact have a solid ceiling, though this score may flatter him; this may have been his best Wales game so far.

  4: Dafydd Jenkins 6

  Like Lake, mostly just played as well as usual. On the other hand, Jenkins’ workrate backfired, as he conceded the most penalties of anyone in the match, but 2 penalties isn’t really a problem. Should grow as the month goes on.

  5: Adam Beard 5

  With how much his lineout skills were needed, he was just ok. His great maul defence definitely caused Benitez Cruz some issues, but he was mostly invisible on attack. Lots of tackles, though.

  6: Alex Mann 7

  The same excellent tackler as usual, and with how well he’s played in his last 3 Wales games, may be here for another few this month. The first 10 minutes were rough, however, as he took a minute to get going and got outplayed by more experienced Argentine attackers. Actually made some solid carries too, but has some things to work on for Japan.

  7: Jac Morgan 9

  Once again, Wales’ best player. Showed some remarkable strength, restraining the power and dynamism of even Oviedo, but that injury will worry Tandy. Was genuinely considered for player of the match despite not playing 80 minutes and being on the weaker team; a testament to his value.

  8: Aaron Wainwright 7

  Trademark strong carries, but an above average defensive effort too. Has definitely nailed down this jersey in Faletau’s absence if he hadn’t already, though Argentina’s own power left him with little to show for it. 

  9: Tomos Williams 8

  Wales’ second best player. A fairly harmless yellow aside, was an excellent carrier and distributor who kept Wales in the game. Will be one of the most important players going forward until the next World Cup cycle, and this game showed why.

  10: Dan Edwards 6

  A mixed performance; his inexperience showed as Argentina’s mighty forward pack pressured him into some questionable kicks, but he nailed every conversion and made an absolutely beautiful run where he beat 3 defenders in quick succession. I’m expecting him to keep this jersey against Japan.

  11: Josh Adams 5

  Outside backs had an unusually weak game here, though Adams tried to make something of every opportunity he held the ball. Defensively underwhelming with a 33% tackle success rate, but didn’t have a lot to work with in the first place.

  12: Ben Thomas 3

  Should he have been carded? As Nigel Owens pointed out, it’s hard to penalise a player for foul play they didn’t actually make, but even with the 10 minutes taken away, Thomas didn’t really do much else except hand the ball to Prisciantelli for the latter’s second try. The few carries he made didn’t do him many favours, and this was probably his worst game so far.

  13: Max Llewellyn 7

  Finally, finally managed to bring something close to his Gloucester form last season to the test arena. While his try was disallowed, his defensive workrate surprised me, with 16 tackles showing he’s more than just a carrier. Wales have struggled to nail down the 13 jersey, but Llewellyn made a great case here.

  14: Tom Rogers 4

  Rogers was supposed to be our best aerial player, limiting Argentina’s influence over the high ball, and instead we got a budget Rio Dyer. While his ability to chase was impressive, he missed almost every opportunity he had to slow down the Pumas ball, and only made one linebreak compared to his great attacking form last Six Nations. Louis Rees-Zammit made much more of a positive impact in much less time.

  15: Blair Murray 5

  Another mixed bag; Murray has come under criticism for his lack of height limiting his aerial influence, and while I think he is technically solid in this area, he didn’t prove it here. Consistently pressured, his solid workrate on both sides of the ball saved him from a lower score.

  BENCH

  16: Liam Belcher 6

  Nice bench impact, as his usual workrate was felt more than most, but not enough to really turn any tides.

  17: Nicky Smith 6

  Better carrying performance than usual; he made more carries than Carré, weirdly enough. Not much impact at scrumtime though; Wales went backwards when Gallo came into play.

  18: Archie Griffin 6

  Same as Smith, though we’ve come to expect good carrying from Griffin.

  19: Freddie Thomas 5

  Unnoticed and mostly underwhelming, though he didn’t have the time to do much else.

  20: Olly Cracknell 5

  Showed how his carrying presence could help Wales, but only made 4. Smith and Griffin made more impact in a similar amount of time.

  21: Kieran Hardy N/A

  He played for about 5 minutes. I’m not petty enough to judge anyone for having no impact in that time

  22: Jarrod Evans 6

  No real drop-off compared to Edwards, nailed his one conversion, and worked well with Rees-Zammit on the outside.

  23: Louis Rees-Zammit 7

  The real bench impact of the game, but with 3 turnovers lost, he’s not exactly back to his best. Could’ve added an extra try to Wales’ tally to alleviate some of the negativity, but it wasn’t to be. If he starts the next game, I’ll be looking forward to it.

  2025.11.10

• Wales vs Argentina Preview – Autumn Nations

  Wales vs Argentina Preview – Autumn Nations

  The first game under what is hopefully a more optimistic era for Welsh rugby, yet it still seems as though there’s a looming sense of dread going into what is ultimately a very difficult run of fixtures. Argentina are fresh off of the Rugby Championship, where they scored wins against similarly hardened New Zealand and Australia sides, and their playstyle of wearing teams down with physical aggression and consistent aerial bombardment could be a serious challenge to a team still finding their feet under a new system.

  Then again, with pundits already writing Wales off, there isn’t really much for the hosts to lose here. They have just emerged from an 18 game losing streak against Tier 1 opposition, and apart from their second fixture against Japan, it’s difficult for anyone to objectively bet on a Welsh victory until next summer, with their Six Nations rivals all boasting more complete and established squads. With a new coaching setup and a new team, this is the perfect opportunity for Wales to show what’s changed since last year, where they can go from here, and how high their ceiling could reach.

  Argentina are one of the best teams to prove this; they aren’t as consistently dominant as South Africa and New Zealand, they aren’t an underwhelming milestone like Samoa or the USA, and they are a team we haven’t played since the World Cup, where there isn’t an expected “standard” of how Wales in their current state compare (like Australia or the Six Nations teams). With Tandy’s squad having a visible shape and a fairly clear gameplan, it will be interesting to see how much the squad has learned from this new coaching team.

  Last Time

  I won’t spend much time on this section given how much as changed since the last World Cup, but Wales did measure up fairly well to Argentina the last time they played. They still lost 17-29, but scored the same number of tries and remained in the game until the last 10 minutes. The area that really cost them was discipline; Argentina won off the back of 3 kicked penalties, and Wales were the less clinical in their execution overall.

  Luckily, discipline is not one of Argentina’s biggest strengths. Arguably, it’s their kryptonite; with such a passionate, physically oriented team, overextending is more or less expected. Wales don’t have the physicality to pressure Argentina, but if they maintain their breakdown control through Alex Mann and Jac Morgan, they could turn this loss on its head.

  Where the game will be won

  The aerial game and breakdown control. It’s a boring and simple point, but whoever controls these areas controls the attack, and when unleashed, both of these teams have very intimidating attacks. Argentina have kept Rodrigo Isgro – their best aerial operator – on the bench, so he’ll avoid Tom Rogers who will try to have a similar influence under the high ball. Both teams also have a similar number of kicking options, with Geronimo Prisciantelli and Santiago Carreras being as comfortable aiming for touch as Dan Edwards and Ben Thomas. But where Argentina may edge out is in the first phase; they have the larger forwards, and everyone from 4-8 is comfortable aggressively pursuing rucks

  If Wales are to win, however, they will most certainly target the lineout. With Adam Beard’s aerial skills, even Montoya’s consistent throwing could lead to turnover ball for Wales, and Dafydd Jenkins and Alex Mann are also dangerous jumpers. Kremer, meanwhile, is not a lineout jumper, so they’ll be relying on Pablo Matera and Juan Martin Gonzalez as jumpers alongside Guido Petti. Controlling the lineout could save or set up some crucial tries for Wales, especially with the danger of their rolling mauls and post-lineout carriers like Rhys Carré and Aaron Wainwright.

  Key Matchups

  1. Both teams like their mauls, but Julian Montoya and Dewi Lake are much more than ball carriers for their teams. Both are dominant around the park with their sheer passion and physicality, and in a game where Wales will want to target the lineout, every throw will need to be spot-on for both sides.
  2. Under the high ball, Santiago Carreras and Blair Murray are brilliant triple-threat counter-attackers who can seriously dent their opposition if left unchecked. Carreras has played most of the Championship as a fly-half, so his distribution will be on point, while Murray is infamously hard to stop in the narrow channels and will chase every opportunity he’s given.
  3. In the centres, Santiago Chocobares and Ben Thomas are both very intelligent players who are crucial to their team’s gameplans, but in terms of style, they couldn’t be more different. Chocobares is a post-contact demon who will want to carry into narrow channels and draw in defenders, choosing great lines where he can gain ground for the visitors. Thomas, meanwhile, is a master distributor and attack-controller, more than capable of leveraging opportunities himself, but is most comfortable manipulating defences to give outside threats space to wreak havoc.

  Other Players to Watch

  • Rhys Carré makes his return to Welsh rugby in place of Nicky Smith at 1. With Wales relatively limited carrying options, Tandy has selected him to carry hard from the front row. He’s in excellent form for Saracens right now, so his impact will be felt.
  • Olly Cracknell also debuts from the bench. Tandy is a big fan of his, with the two of them having worked together in the former’s Ospreys days, and if he replaces Wainwright, he’ll need to bring his trademark physicality and large size to dominate collisions.

  Prediction: Wales 20 – 29 Argentina

  The goal for Wales here is ultimately to instill hope for the future and find their identity on the world stage. A win is certainly possible, and would send tremors throughout World Rugby that they have returned as a force to be reckoned with, but Argentina’s physicality, form, and experience should be enough to wear them out by the 80-minute mark.

  2025.11.08