LONG READ 'Small steps are needed, but Wales have much to gain from this Six Nations'

Trek back to 1994 and British newspapers carried the tale of a chap from the Rhondda Valley who sold the slates from his roof so he could fund the purchase of a black-market ticket to watch Wales play England at Twickenham.

The then unemployed Stephen Spiller didn’t even consult Mrs Spiller before removing the said slates and nailing on a layer of felt as weather protection for his house in Pontygwaith.

Different times? Well, in the build-up to this year’s Six Nations, such are the troubled circumstances of Welsh rugby that the Wales captain and Ospreys forward Dewi Lake described the championship as a “welcome distraction” from the turmoil in the domestic game west of the Severn.

It said much that most could understand where Lake was coming from, with the hooker’s own region potentially facing an existential threat under the Welsh Rugby Union’s plans to reshape Welsh professional rugby.

At the time of writing, there had been no reports of any modern-day Steve Spillers stripping their roofs of slates so as to make it into the headquarters of English rugby this weekend.

Of course there will be a significant Welsh following in London, but for the first time in living memory, a White v Red championship joust has struggled to dominate the sporting agenda in Wales. Indeed, were there a Welsh rugby edition of Question Time on TV this week, Borthwick v Tandy might struggle to rate an enquiry at the end, after 50 minutes of heated debate on Y11, the WRU, Ospreys and proposals to slim down the regional scene.

Tandy will also need to show the varied skills of a psychologist, diplomat, PR officer and leader. Some might add if he could throw the odd miracle or two into the mix that would be a plus as well.

How did we get to this point?

In years to come, there will be books written on that very question.

But credit to the Ospreys players and coaches for the way they have responded. It would have been easy to order a few lorry loads of extra-large tissues and feel deeply sorry for themselves. Instead, last weekend they managed to fashion a comeback win over the Dragons despite the off-field anxiety and missing the injured Jac Morgan and six other current Wales internationals. Evidently, amid all the talk of taking away their region, the character of head coach Mark Jones and his group remains 100% secure.

But what we also know is Tandy’s job for the coming month and a bit is immeasurably tougher than a national coach’s brief should be. He will not just need to be properly across all rugby matters. He will also need to show the varied skills of a psychologist, diplomat, PR officer and leader. Some might add if he could throw the odd miracle or two into the mix that would be a plus as well.

Not that everyone feels divine intervention will be needed. As of Tuesday lunchtime, a ‘Who will win the 2026 Six Nations?’ poll on the BBC had seen six percent of respondents predict Wales would be holding the trophy aloft come the evening of 14 March. You were left wondering whether these super-positive sorts were privy to information denied to the rest of us. Or perhaps they were looking away during Wales’ 18-game losing run that only stopped with a hard-earned victory over Japan in the summer.

A stern-faced financial advisor probably isn’t needed to proffer the view it might not be totally wise to blow the kids’ inheritance backing the Red Dragons to walk off with the championship spoils this time.

Barely a couple of months ago, remember, they lost 73-0 to South Africa, the second heaviest defeat in the country’s 145-year Test history. Try as they might, against opponents who boasted props the size of mountain ranges and a fly-half in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who operated in a different dimension from everyone else on the field, Wales found scoring entirely beyond them.

The good news is the Boks are not in the field for this tournament. The not-so-good news is the Six Nations is about momentum and it is Wales’ misfortune to start with games against England and France. Damaging defeats could puncture belief for the rest of the championship. The late footballer Johan Cruyff used to say he always wanted to face the strongest teams early in a tournament, but he never had to withstand a rib-rattling Sam Underhill tackle or pack down against the French front row.

There again, it is hard to imagine many will expect Wales to win either of their first two matches, with England on a run of 11 wins stretching back to last February and France on their day capable of giving any side in the world a game.

Wales will be stronger for the availability of Tomos Williams, Nicky Smith, Olly Cracknell, Louis Rees-Zammit, Daf Jenkins and Rhys Carre, all bringing with them form honed in the Gallagher Prem.

Rather, it will be the home dates with Scotland and Italy that will define the championship for Tandy’s team. Nick a win in one or those or, better still from a Welsh perspective, prevail in both and the coach will be able to point to progress, with Wales heading into this tournament not having tasted victory in a Six Nations game since 2023.

There is a school of thought that maybe we shouldn’t read too much into the pre-Christmas misadventure against South Africa anyway, as chastening as it was. Wales, after all, were without their England- and France-based players when they imploded in Cardiff. Of course, the Springboks were shy of many of their leading lights too, but they have a seemingly bottomless reserve of talent; the Red Dragons do not.

Wales will be stronger for the availability of Tomos Williams, Nicky Smith, Olly Cracknell, Louis Rees-Zammit, Daf Jenkins and Rhys Carre, all bringing with them form honed in the Gallagher Prem, with Bath men Archie Griffin and Louie Hennessey back in the mix, plus the Top 14’s Adam Beard.

Tom Francis has returned to the fold, ending a sabbatical from Test rugby stretching back to 2023, while Owen Watkin will add beef in midfield and another returnee, Mason Grady, will want to prove conclusively he can cut the mustard as an elite Test player. Gabriel Hamer-Webb? One more who will add to Tandy’s three-quarter options.

None of which should lead anyone to within a country mile of exaggerated expectations.

The selectors, after all, are still searching for their strongest midfield combination, with six different partnerships used in 2025, while the jury’s out on whether they have resolved all their issues at blindside flanker or found the natural successor to Liam Williams at full-back.

And can we say who of Dan Edwards, Sam Costelow and Jarrod Evans will be in possession of the number 10 jersey when the championship finishes? Probably not. All have their strengths, but at this point one doesn’t seem significantly in front of the others. Maybe that will change over the coming weeks. Tandy will hope so, because Wales need an outstanding fly-half.

Incidentally, has it really been 11 months since England ran riot in Cardiff, with 10 tries decorating their 68-14 win? Time is supposed to fly when you are enjoying yourself, but for Welsh rugby there has been little to savour.

In more normal circumstances, there would have been talk of Wales wanting to settle a score this weekend, but of that there has been little to none. Doubtless, Wales probably would like to avenge that thrashing – of course they would – but do they have the means to get the job done? England are in form, Wales are not; England have depth, Wales do not; England are confident, Wales are not.

Looking at England’s bench, which includes five British and Irish Lions, Welsh pessimists might be tempted to recall what George Orwell nearly said: “All rugby matches start equal, but some rugby matches start less equal than others.”

For Wales, though, the first challenge will be to make a competitive game of it. After 11 Six Nations defeats in a row, they are in a place where small steps might be needed before they are properly up and running again

Still, the Wales head coach will not look at it like that, not for a single second. Tandyologists will know the former Neath and Ospreys flanker will relish his team’s underdog status.

He will remind the likes of Smith, Williams, Jenkins, Cracknell and Rees-Zammit they are delivering every weekend in English rugby’s showcase league, while perhaps urging Jenkins to remember his towering effort for Wales against the All Blacks, when he produced his best performance in a Welsh jersey. He will frame the contest as one in which Wales have a huge amount to gain, while England have much to lose.

For Wales, though, the first challenge will be to make a competitive game of it.

After 11 Six Nations defeats in a row, they are in a place where small steps might be needed before they are properly up and running again. England and Ireland away are difficult fixtures at any time, while France haven’t lost in Cardiff since 2018 and are on a run of seven straight wins in all games against the Welsh.

A dot of perspective should be the order of the day, then.

If Tandy’s players can avoid any blow outs against the big three and tip over the odd (blue) applecart as the campaign progresses, that would be something.

During challenging times, every positive has to be held onto.