Posted by As Cymru’s 2025/26 campaign came to a close with the heavy defeat suffered away at South Africa, it also brought to an end Steve Tandy’s first season in charge of the men’s national team.
Overall it’s been a year of tempered expectation and continuing frustration, as the Welsh side attempt to recover from the well-documented trials and tribulations of the previous two seasons and begin the long road back to the top of the international game.
Two hammerings at the hands of the Springboks, two pretty big losses against Argentina, and convincing defeats inflicted by England and France respectively have led to questions about every inch of the game in Wales; the grassroots, development pathway, coaching, professional clubs and even the future of Tandy himself despite the recency of his appointment.
And yet in amongst it all there has been small shoots of green. There was tentative improvement seen against the All Blacks in November, before noticeable progress in losses to Scotland and Ireland, leading to wins over Italy and Fiji to finish the Six Nations and start the Nations Championship, respectively.
The set piece has come on noticeably with the pack now on an even footing against the majority of tier one opponents, without letting that South African performance fool you. The driving maul in particular has become a weapon, while the lineout woes are kept to a minimum as Paul James and Danny Wilson have got to work on their specialist areas.
Similarly the kicking and aerial game has taken a step forward with the work done around the kick chase and possession recovery giving the side the opportunity to properly compete in the territory and possession battle which has become so important in the modern game.
It’s a fundamental base that has been lacking for too many years since the last of the golden generation bowed out from the test match stage, but Tandy has helped to rediscover it allowing for a foundation to be built on which Cymru can push forwards from towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup and beyond.
That will be a big task though as attention turns to Matt Sherratt and Pete Murchie to develop an attack that can create line breaks and try scoring opportunities, and a defence which can make it’s tackles, keep the opposition out and force turnovers from which to counter attack.
It won’t be a quick turnaround on either front, but they do have time on their side with a four-game, six-week autumn block, followed by a five-game, eight-week Six Nations block before the lengthy summer camp that occurs prior to a Rugby World Cup. Ultimately that is the aim for this Cymru side, and that should be how long the coaching staff are given to prove themselves.
What would undoubtedly assist in that quest to be competitive in Australia though is the Welsh Rugby Union expediting the process to get a full coaching ticket and support staff in place around Steve Tandy. The piecemeal process of getting this done so far has been a hindrance and a general embarrassment for Director of Rugby Dave Reddin.
Having got Wilson and Sherratt on board prior to Tandy’s first test window in charge last autumn, it wasn’t until just ahead of this last window that Paul James was confirmed as the full-time scrum coach and Pete Murchie arrived as the full-time defence coach. Dan Lydiate then joined them with a focus on contact skills but only on a limited contract which meant he didn’t travel to Argentina or South Africa.
There is still no sign of an attacking skills coach or a kicking coach which were reported as being advertised and with interviews having taken place back in May, while the WRU is now seeking a ‘Head of Behavioural Performance’ to look after mindset and psychology
This all needs to be sorted before the Nations Championship resumes in November and a huge season for Cymru and the coaching staff commences. A full year with everything in place is required to properly assess whether Tandy & co are the right people to then kick on towards the 2031 RWC where hopefully the men’s national team can trouble the latter stages again.
For now though the small green shoots are what we have to cling to!
Cardiff Rugby Life 