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Steve Tandy has made 4 changes to his Wales starting team ahead of the Men’s Six Nations against Scotland. Wales under Tandy are currently averaging 50 points conceded per match and patience is already running thin with the inexperienced head coach.
After the defeat to England in round 1, Tandy said he did not want to be knee jerk with his selections. However, with this latest 23, some of his selections are leaving fans confused.
The fly-half debate is a ceaseless one in Wales – as it is in most countries. Even highly successful 10s such as Stephen Jones and Dan Biggar had noisy detractors throughout their careers. Even in this context, though, it is difficult to see the logic of Steve Tandy & his attack coach Matt Sherratt.
Dan Edwards had started every single game under Tandy until this week. Despite question marks over his defence and ability to assert tactical control of a game, it had appeared the coaches had chosen their man and were backing him to the hilt.
However, for the Scotland game, he has been dropped from the 23 entirely. Tandy cited the 6 day turnaround as a reason for ‘freshening things up’ but that same logic has not been applied to several other players who have played every single minute of this championship so far.
By his 55th minute substitution against France, Edwards was cutting a dejected figure on the pitch. Perhaps taking him out was inevitable, but the choice of his replacement is a headscratcher.
Scarlets 10 Sam Costelow is a brilliant player and has been in excellent form of late. He gets rave reviews from anyone who works with him and has even captained the Scarlets at times this season.
However, Costelow has not had so much as a look-in under Tandy so far; he was passed over for the November tests and has not featured in the matchday 23 for either of the two opening Six Nations games.
Costelow has endured a tumultuous Wales career so far and is the subject of horrific online abuse. Former Wales boss Warren Gatland’s selections around Costelow critically undermined his chance of success and injuries have held him back.
Then there is the case of Jarrod Evans, the man on the bench for the Scotland game. Evans has now worn the 22 jersey 7 times since his former Cardiff coach, Matt Sherratt, drafted him into the Six Nations squad mid championship after replacing Warren Gatland in 2025.
He had a positive impact off the bench against France, but has once again been overlooked for a start. In fact, he hasn’t started for Wales since 2021 and despite being the most experienced fly half of the 3, in terms of age and total game time, he has just 2 starts for his country.
So, we have a 10 who the coaches have invested in and a 10 that the attack coach appears to trust, but both have been passed over for a 10 who the coaches had, until now, snubbed. The decision has led to questions over Tandy’s long term vision for the position and his man management of the players involved. None of this feels like a recipe for success.
It wasn’t too long ago that Wales’ depth at openside flanker was their best in any position. Warburton, Tipuric, Davies, Jenkins, Griffiths, Young… the list went on and on. Now, though, for the 2nd test in a row, there is no specialist 7 in the Wales 23. Furthermore, Tandy has completely reversed his decision to bring in Olly Cracknell at 8 and move Aaron Wainwright to blindside.
The latter has been restored to his best position of 8 whilst Taine Plumtree is rewarded for his good impact against France with a spot at 6. In terms of playing style, Plumtree and Cracknell could scarcely be more different: one is an athletic edge forward, one is a physical ball carrier. So, unless there is a Scotland specific plan behind the selection, there does not appear to be much continuity of thought.
On the other side of the scrum, Alex Mann is now one of just 2 men (along with captain Dewi Lake) to have started every single game since Tandy took over. With his high work rate and underrated handling skills, the coaches clearly view him as a vital player, but few consider 7 to be his best position.
Against England, Josh MacLeod and Harri Deaves were two of the most impactful players but have not been seen since. Wales will be facing the superb Rory Darge this weekend, who will no doubt target this unbalanced back row at the breakdown.
One player who has received positive reviews in the first 2 games of this championship is winger Ellis Mee. He has showcased his excellent rugby IQ and deceptive athleticism, winning plaudits from Wales fans and neutrals alike.
Therefore, Tandy’s decision to drop him from the 23 in favour of Leicester’s Gabriel Hamer-Webb is probably the biggest surprise of all. The Tigers winger was a surprise inclusion in the initial squad before the Six Nations started, so seeing him given a starting spot is something no-one was predicting 4 weeks ago.
Hamer-Webb scored 12 tries in 24 appearances for a Matt Sherratt coached Cardiff – 3 of which came against the Ospreys – showing he does have pedigree as a winger. However, Tandy has repeatedly said his inclusion in the squad was down to his Leicester form.
That reasoning is more questionable because he has only started 1 game in the English PREM so far this season, scoring a try in a comfortable win over a limp Harlequins at the end of January. Cynics will say the selection is purely to tie him to Wales and prevent him switching allegiance to England – it is up to the player himself to prove those cynics wrong.
Adam Beard is dropped after a series of underwhelming performances, topped by a bad mistake against France last time out. His spot goes to Dragons lock Ben Carter, who is woefully underrated outside the Gwent region and fully deserves his shot.
Gloucester lock Freddie Thomas comes onto the bench; he is still unproven at this level so the scale of his impact will be important to measure. He is joined on the bench by James Botham, who many have called for as a starter thanks to his physicality, and Blair Murray wears 23. A back 3 containing both Rees-Zammit and Murray will be fireworks if nothing else!
In the 2 games so far this Six Nations, Wales have almost made an art of playing directly into the hands of their opposition. One could argue that, except for dropping Ellis Mee, Tandy has identified problem areas in the Wales XV and addressed them. The problem is that confidence is low that the changes he has made will work. Many of the players are already suffering awful abuse online before a ball is even kicked.
Makers for success in this game will be the same as what they have been for every game since Tandy took over: keep the scoreline respectable, nail the basics, try not to be out of the game before half time. A low bar? Certainly, but they haven’t achieved it yet.
Wales Starting XV (1-15) Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, Alex Mann, Aaron Wainwright, Tomos Williams, Sam Costelow, Josh Adams, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Louis Rees-Zammit
Wales Replacements (16-23) Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, James Botham, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Blair Murray
Scotland Starting XV (1-15) Nathan McBeth, Dave Cherry, Zander Fagerson, Max Williamson, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Ben White, Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Kyle Steyn, Blair Kinghorn
Scotland Replacements (16-23) George Turner, Pierre Schoeman, Elliot Millar-Mills, Grant Gilchrist, Josh Bayliss, George Horne, Tom Jordan, Darcy Graham
