Back-to-Back Record Defeats for Wales . . . But Steve Tandy Insists It's Progress

In a message to fans that will receive sympathy from some, but feel incredulous and misplaced to others, Tandy appeared upbeat and pleased with what he said was progress between Wales’ record Six Nations 48-7 loss to England and their record 54 points conceded to France in a 54-12 home defeat.

Tandy is urging patience and collective backing as his rebuilding project gathers pace.

The head coach struck a defiant tone after France powered to victory in Cardiff, a result that deepened Welsh rugby’s current gloom but, in his view, also revealed signs of progress beneath the surface.

Les Bleus crossed for eight tries to register their biggest win in the Welsh capital and climb back to the top of the championship table. 

The heavy defeat came just a week after Wales were beaten 48–7 by England, extending a run that now reads 13 straight Six Nations losses and just two wins from 25 Tests.

Compounding concerns for the Welsh Rugby Union was a crowd of 57,744 at Principality Stadium — the smallest for a Six Nations match in Cardiff, below the previous low of 58,349 against Italy in 2002. 

The sparse attendance reflected the chaos engulfing the domestic game, with the WRU under attack for pushing ahead with backdoor plans to reduce the number of men’s professional sides to three during a period marked by record Test defeats.

Yet Tandy’s message was one of unity and long-term vision rather than alarm.

“I understand there is bucketfuls going on,” Tandy said when asked about the record-low attendance. “There’s been lots going on in Wales for a hell of a long time.

“At the end of the day, you want to unify everything. That’s where the aim for everyone is.

“We’re a small nation and we need everything to be flowing in the right direction.

“I genuinely believe that for the people, clubs, players, journalists – we all need to play a part in this journey. Everyone’s going to have to play their part, but there needs to be some patience as well.”

On the field, Wales were again outmuscled and outmanoeuvred by elite opposition. 

Across Tandy’s six matches in charge, his side have conceded 32 tries and 302 points, underlining the scale of the challenge. But the coach was adamant that raw scorelines do not tell the full story.

“I’m disappointed with the scoreline, but you’ve got to tip your hat to France, what they brought.

“I thought there was more in us today in parts of the game.

“I know you’ll probably look at me stupid when I’m talking around the scoreline, but I thought there were (positive) glimpses around the set-piece and some of the intent of how we wanted to go after the game.

“There was enough from the boys that we can go back in on Tuesday and work on things.”

Tandy pointed to the youth within his squad and the calibre of opposition faced — Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, England and France — as important context for Wales’ struggles.

“Look, I’m a coach, I understand as well. At the end of the day, most people see the outcome. People will comment on things without always seeing the data.

I’ve got an understanding of where we are. We've got young players and combinations coming in. We have to go through it and experience it. I’m very optimistic in my view on it.

“I knew the challenge that it was coming into Wales. It excites me about where we can go.

“Hopefully we can look back in 18 months time or whenever it is, and this was a part of it.

“We can’t click our fingers and be one of the best in the world. It's a process. There’s also the context of the six games we’ve played. Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa out of the window, England and France.

“There was also Japan, where we didn't get the performance but we got the win.

“But there has to be an understanding of who we're playing. We know where we want to be as a team, but we also know where we are.

“It's that understanding that we're 11 in the world and have won two games in 20-plus games. It won’t come overnight.

“For me as a coach, it's seeing where we are growing. You might not see the bits adding together.

“But I do believe when I'm seeing the training week, with the mindset of the boys and how they keep coming back. But we've got some young kids and it'll take some time.”

While Wales attempt to steady themselves before hosting Scotland next weekend, France are eyeing further silverware. The reigning champions face Italy on Sunday as they chase another title and the possibility of a Grand Slam.

France captain Antoine Dupont warned against complacency despite the emphatic result in Cardiff.

“The tournament is not won yet. We still have big matches to come and we must remain concentrated and focus on our style of play.

“We are seeing efficiency in our game and we started the game well.

“We were good under pressure and our defence allowed us to have many transitions in the game.”