Steve Tandy: From ball boy duty at national stadium to head coach

Steve Tandy steps into the Principality Stadium as Wales head coach for the first time on Sunday nearly 40 years after being a ball boy there for his club Tonmawr’s greatest day.

Tandy’s father Peter was Tonmawr coach at the old National Stadium in 1986 when the village team – around four miles east of Neath – beat Cardiff side CIACS to win the Welsh Brewers Cup, a competition that involved the smaller district clubs in Wales.

It is a day enshrined in Tonmawr history and remains a highlight on Tandy’s rugby journey, from a rugged flanker at Neath and Ospreys to coaching spells in Australia, Scotland and Wales.

Tandy cut his coaching teeth at Bridgend and Ospreys before leaving his homeland in 2018 and embarking on defence coach roles with the Waratahs, Scotland and the British and Irish Lions in 2021.

“My mother would probably tell you I was about six months when I first picked up a ball,” said Tandy, the first Welshman to take charge of the men’s national team since Gareth Jenkins left office in 2007.

“Being a rugby nut, I always wanted the ball down at Tonmawr rugby field. I was the ball boy (in the Cardiff final), my dad was the coach, and it was Tonmawr’s invincible season.

“I was young, but I remember seeing the big bath as well. Everyone went in. It wasn’t very hygienic.

“I remember going in and thinking, ‘Wow’. That would never be done now but, from there, I just got the bug.

“Me and my brother would always be kicking a ball around. We’d have the Welsh tracksuit. I think back to those Five Nations adverts, Ieuan Evans’ try against Scotland.”

Tandy made the short journey to the historic Gnoll ground and played top-level rugby there for Neath and Ospreys after the Welsh game went regional in 2003.

A Wales cap eluded him, but his love for rugby never dimmed.

Tandy said: “The way I was coached as a young boy was to be energised and enjoy my rugby.

“That rubbed off on me and is something I try to bring. I know it gets very serious and technical, but you still want to have fun.

“When the boys go out there on Sunday, I want them to play with a little bit of freedom and not worry about every mistake. I’d rather them worry about what they can do.”

Wales’ problems on the pitch have run deep ahead of their autumn opener against Argentina on Sunday, with the summer win over Japan ending a run of 18 straight defeats.

There are even bigger issues off it with the Welsh Rugby Union proposing to cut the number of men’s professional teams from four to three and jobs under threat.

Tandy’s response has been to bring a fresh outlook, setting up the training week differently, encouraging more interaction in camp, and swapping around the home and away dressing rooms at the Principality Stadium.

Tandy said: “It’s not a reflection of the past, it’s more about where we want to go.

“The changing rooms isn’t about streaks, it’s more about the scope to redevelop and change that landscape and do something that could be outstanding.”