“It’s Tough”- Welsh Star Expresses Disappointment of Record-Breaking Low Attendances

Thursday, 19 February 2026 at 16:19

byHarry Tovey

Tight-head prop, Archie Griffin expressed that he was left disappointed seeing Principality Stadium with an attendance of 57,744 last Sunday afternoon when Wales faced France.

Their 13th consecutive Six Nations defeat was played in front of their smallest ever crowd in Cardiff in the competition, as France claimed the spoils 54-12. There were over 15,000 empty seats in the stadium, unlike recent history, when these games would have sold out months in advance.

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“At the end of the day, we play like an entertainment sport; it’s tough when the crowd isn’t behind us, especially when we have an empty stadium, it’s disappointing,” said Griffin ahead of Wales’ crucial third outing against Scotland in the Welsh capital.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we want to do it (win) so the fans can enjoy it, and it’s gutting to see when that’s not there.

“But the people who are there obviously give us a lot of support, and (when we) go around the stadium afterwards, they’re there to support us, and that’s appreciated.

“They know that we’re doing our best and we’re building. It’s good to have them behind us.”

On the attendances of matches, Wales head coach Steve Tandy added: “We understand it’s our job as a team to get the support here, but the public have been amazingly supportive and understand where we are.

Griffin, who plays his rugby for Gallagher Prem side Bath Rugby, started in Wales’ 48-7 defeat against England, and for back-to-back games, he’s been selected on the bench.

When he came on against France last weekend, the game had already been lost, as had been the case with Provence’s Tomas Francis coming on the previous weekend. On the competitiveness and also the tight-head returning to the Welsh set-up, Griffin added: "He’s really good.

“He pushes you around the field; he’s obviously got a lot of talent behind him, and he’s easily giving it off after scrums. He’s coming up to me and giving me tips on how things are going.

“Post-training, when we’re video analysing things, he’s telling me things he’s seeing, so it’s good to have him a part of the squad, to be honest.”

Wales come into the contest, having last recorded a home win in the Six Nations against Scotland in 2022. Since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Wales have recorded only two wins, both home and away against Japan.

Griffin started in Wales’ triumph against Eddie Jones’ side in Kobe, playing almost 60 minutes in the sweltering heat. Since then, Wales have shown glimpses of potential but have also conceded half a century of points in their last four matches.

Scotland enters the clash following an impressive Calcutta Cup win over England, and on that Griffin added: “The Six Nations is always a competition about momentum, so them coming off the back of a win, we know what’s coming.

“We got to go out there and develop more and then get the win.”

On the importance of recording a result on Saturday, Griffin added: “We’re always looking to build at the minute, discipline is a big one that we’re trying to focus on throughout this competition.

“With our attack, we’re looking to be quite direct and bring a lot of layering to our attack. A lot of reading. So it’s kind of making sure we throw the first punch.”