Steve Tandy conducted his first press conference as Wales’ new head coach at Principality Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
There have been a lot of big events over the summer months that have occurred at Principality Stadium, such as the EPCR Champions and Challenge Cup finals and the curtain raiser to Oasis’ reunion tour.
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However, Thursday saw Tandy speak for the first time as Wales’ new head coach, and it’s arguably the most significant moment of the summer in the stadium.
The 45-year-old has been named as the man to lead the national side into a brighter future, and he does so on the back of leaving Scotland as defence coach.
So it was rather fitting that the Tonmawr-born coach was speaking to the press inside Wales’ home dressing room, as it’s a place which hasn’t seen much positivity in recent times. And Tandy highlighted the fact that there is “no magic wand” when talking about his new role.
“I believe in the talent we have in Wales to get us where we want to go,” began Tandy.
“I don’t think it’s a magic wand. As Dave (Reddin) said, it’s about being connected and speaking to Abi (Tierney) and Dave around the vision of where we want to go to and how to get Wales back to where we want to be.
“For me, it’s got to be collective and that goes back to what I believe in is collaborative and building systems, but also engaging not only with the national team but the U20s programme, the regions and the communities.
“So, that is what I feel. It is a challenge, but every nation has challenges as well, but I think it’s exciting with regard to where we want to go to.”
“They showed resilience”– Tandy on Wales’ recent form
Wales currently sit 12th in the World Rankings and had only two players (Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams) on the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. He inherits a side which last month ended their losing run, which stretched back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they put aside Japan in Kobe.
Speaking on Wales’ recent form and how crucial playing in the Welsh capital, Tandy added: “In the Six Nations when we (Scotland) played here a couple of years ago, with the crowd and the stadium, there was a momentum shift.
“There is nothing like it, and I have been to some amazing places and amazing environments.
“We were up convincingly, but something changed. I realised what a force that can be and how inspiring it can be for the players.
“They showed resilience in Japan, because they were tough conditions. Losing the first Test showed me there is character and resilience in the group because it became sticky in more ways than one at the back end of the second game.
“We understand where we are at, it was brilliant to get that result, but now it’s about incrementally building.
“There’s not going to be a magic wand or a quick fix and then it all changes, but I do believe in the pathway.”
Departing Scotland was tough for Tandy
It’s a challenging road ahead for Tandy, who admitted how tough it was to leave Scotland, a national side which he’s been involved in since 2019.
During the 2025 Lions Tour, Wales’ Six Nations captain Morgan revealed that Scottish players were gutted to see him leave the set-up, with Scotland coach Gregor Townsend sharing the same thoughts.
“Leaving Scotland was really tough,” insisted Tandy.
“There are not many jobs that I would have left Scotland for. Gregor has had a major influence on me.
“We are different people; I have a defence mindset, and he had an attack mindset, so that shaped how we were going to defend.
“The players were incredible to work with, and then how Scotland made my family feel, with the support we got.
“It was tough (to leave), but that tells you about the excitement of this job. I am a passionate Welshman, I want Wales to be putting in performances that everyone can get behind.”
Returning to his local village, Tonmawr as Wales coach
Since returning from Scotland’s summer tour of New Zealand to play the Māori All Blacks and Samoa, and a trip to Fiji, Tandy made his return to his local club to watch the third Test between Australia and the Lions.
“Yeah, I did, well we came back from New Zealand on Wednesday and we’d arranged to come down to see family anyway, so yeah I went.
“I went up to the rugby club to watch the third test in the morning with my brother and loads of my mates, it was awesome.”
Influence of Rees-Zammit’s return to Rugby
Louis Rees-Zammit only recently announced his return to rugby after spending 18 months trying to make it as an American football player in the NFL. The 24-year-old speedster, capped 32 times for Wales, had short spells with both the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars in his time over in America.
On the potential return to Wales and whether he’ll be available for the Autumn internationals against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa, Tandy said: “Zammo brings a big effect and excitement by coming back. I think it’s great for the game.
“He’s gone away to experience something new, which is class. I’m sure he will be in outstanding physical condition. The more players we have available to represent our country, the better. That’s exciting and makes our jobs easier.
“It will also make our calls on selection a lot more challenging in terms of selection, as we’ve already got some very good back three players.
“Adding Zammo into that makes it even more exciting for not only us, but the fans as well.”
