Northern | US

Wales forced into emergency coach change during Six Nations

Steve Tandy, the Wales head coach looks on during the Guinness Six Nations 2026 match between England and Wales at Allianz Stadium on February 07, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Comments
Comment

Duncan Jones has had to withdraw from Wales’ coaching team after one round of the Guinness Six Nations after suffering a “freak leg injury” in training last week.

ADVERTISEMENT

The former Wales loosehead has been replaced in Steve Tandy’s coaching team by fellow Ospreys coach Paul James.

James, another former Wales loosehead, has joined the Welsh camp ahead of their round two clash with France at the Principality Stadium on Sunday.

VIDEO

Jones joined Tandy’s staff on an interim basis from the Ospreys during the Quilter Nations Series last year, and was reappointed to the role ahead of the Six Nations. However, following an accident during live training last week, the 47-year-old has had surgery after injuring both knees.

James has previous experience working in the Welsh set-up, having been scrum and set-piece coach for the U20 side in 2021.

Fixture
Six Nations
Wales
12 - 54
Full-time
France
All Stats and Data

“It’s great to add Paul to the coaching team and my thanks to the Ospreys for enabling this opportunity at short notice,” said Tandy.

“We’re all extremely disappointed for Duncan with his injury. He’s been a huge part of the environment and I want to thank him for all that he’s put into the campaign so far. He will be really missed around the group and we wish him all the best with his recovery.”

ADVERTISEMENT

James added: “I’m excited for the opportunity to come in and coach with Wales. I’m looking forward to doing all I can to help the boys.”

Jones said: “I’m absolutely gutted that a freak injury means I’m unable to continue in camp with Wales this Six Nations. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to coach international rugby and being able to work with this great group of players and staff. I will be giving Steve and the squad all my support from the sidelines for the remainder of the Championship.”

Related

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

N
NoLongerARuck 53 minutes ago
‘Australia are hitting a sweet spot of Test experience; it’s exciting to think where they could get to over the next 12 months’

When I looked at the Aus team to play SA I had the same thought, suddenly alot of “new” players werent very new at all. It is a side building nicely and if they can maintain consistency they will be in the sweet spot in terms of experience and age, this is a good youthful team. So physically and experience wise they should be prepared. This is a nice thought but what the team needs now is belief, consistency and cohesion. That can only be built with important wins, coaches willing to invest in players and the team environment. Kiss has selected well so far and has got some wins but you almost feel as though they have to win at least one of these Bledisloe tests just to build that belief. Wins against South Africa have never been a Wallabies problem. Wins against the All Blacks have recently become as impossible to acquire as yesterdays time. When the Boks went on to win the world cup in 2019 they cited the win in Wellington as the one that built the belief they needed to know they could beat the best in the world. The same could be true for these Wallabies. If they go on to lose the group match against NZ next year they will be in the somewhat easier side of the draw which would give them a more feasible route to the final. The stars do seem to be aligning but now is the time when they need to turn promise into wins.

39 Go to comments
Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close