Olly Cracknell addresses competition with Welsh stars for starting spot

Wednesday, 11 March 2026 at 18:01

byHarry Tovey

Leicester Tigers’ Olly Cracknell stated that having Aaron Wainwright as his main competitor in the back-row will make him ‘better’ ahead of crucial Six Nations meeting against Italy.

Cracknell, who has been put to one side in Steve Tandy’s starting XV, has not started since facing France in Wales’ brutal 54-12 defeat against Les Bleus.

He came on in replacement of a battered and bruised Wainwright after five minutes of the second-half last Friday in Dublin, when he made a great impact off the bench.

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It was confirmed by Wales assistant coach, Dan Lydiate that Dragons’ Wainwright was ‘banged up’ following the 27-17 defeat. Head coach Tandy names his side tomorrow morning, with the possibility of the 28-year-old missing the final fixture highly likely.

For Cracknell, this will allow him to start from the off, something that he has done only twice as an international. The pair will also be club teammates come next season at Leicester.

On the competitiveness with top performer Wainwright, the 31-year-old said: “It's good as more competition is going to make me better. Obviously, the Scotland game where I was left out, I found that disappointing.

“But you learn and Steve (Tandy) takes the time to explain decisions. I came away from speaking to him after that Scotland week, and I was clear on what he was going for and little bits that I could add to my game.

“At the end of the day it always comes back to yourself and just trying improve your own performance more. But it's good to have competition.

“It will be good (to have Wainwright at Leicester). Before last season it was Jasper Wiese I was competing with. We had a lot of back rowers last year, so I think you need competitive squads.

“It's going to make me better having Waino there, so I'm excited for him to join. Been speaking to him where he's going to live. It's quite a big move for him because he's been at the Dragons quite a long time.

“I get on well with Waino and I'll help him get settled,” Cracknell added.

Wales face the Azzuri following their impressive, first-ever victory against England last Saturday in Rome. Tandy’s side will be desperate to end the competition avoiding a third consecutive wooden spoon, and to do so will end a drought of 15 losses in the Six Nations.

They began the championship, with poor outings against both England and France, but against Scotland and Ireland, Wales have shown a signs of improvements. "I think so,” said Cracknell following being questioned on whether Wales have turned a corner.

“To be honest, I felt that in the France game. You look back on the result and just think 'Oh, that's a write-off'.

"But actually, one of these things, the feel of it, it's hard to know. But I certainly felt actually if we just do what we've said we're going to do and set out to play the way that we're supposed to as a team, then we're going to be all right and we're going to be in games.

“So, yeah, I certainly feel like that.”

On facing Italy at Principality Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Cracknell added: “It's a really exciting finale for us. It feels like we've been on the journey.

“There's a lot of excitement and pressure on getting that win. If we deliver that base and intent that we've been trying to build, that's the start.

“So bring that and then a little bit extra, and we'll be in a good position.”

LATEST SIX NATIONS NEWS

Can you all of the Guinness Six Nations winning captains?

In the storied history of Rugby's Greatest Championship, exceptional leaders have emerged—warriors of various forms, be they agile half-backs, towering second rows, or fearless flankers.

Our latest quiz invites you to identify those who have captained their nations to Guinness Six Nations glory. It's worth noting that in certain instances, there may be multiple captains from the same year due to factors such as injuries and rotation.

Surnames only will be accepted.