“We dominated”- Steve Tandy and Dewi Lake react to Nations Championship win against Fiji

Sunday, 05 July 2026 at 20:33

byHarry Tovey

Following putting aside Fiji, it's now three wins on the bounce for Steve Tandy’s team after victories over Italy and the Barbarians, which brings a welcome change of narrative after the struggles of the last couple of years.

Six-try Wales recorded consecutive Test match wins for the first time in three years, as they claimed the spoils in an ‘away’ fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium 39-24 to get their Nations Championship campaign off to a winning start.

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Two tries from Player of the Match Jac Morgan in the first-half somehow saw proceedings level at the interval, 10-10.

Then, after the break, tries from Rhys Carré, Josh Adams, Ryan Elias, and Eddie James saw Wales gain control and then continue the momentum gained from their Six Nations triumph against Italy to win back-to-back Test matches for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

This victory in the Welsh capital also saw Wales claim a win over a side ranked two places above them in the world rankings, but the toughest of tests are still to come.

“I was really proud of the boys and the effort they showed,” said Wales head coach Steve Tandy, whose side made it two from two this summer after last weekend’s uncapped victory against the Barbarians in south-west London.

“It wasn’t always perfect, and Fiji, you have to give credit to them on that field because what they produced was some magical stuff. Our boys kept going at it, chasing things down and not giving up.

“I thought some of the goalline stuff was outstanding and the set-piece was excellent, which was really pleasing, building on from the Six Nations. Dillon (Lewis) not being there for a while, Rhys (Carré ) coming back in, Ben Warren getting his first cap, I felt it was really pleasing from us.

It wasn’t always plain sailing for Wales as the scoreline may suggest, as Fiji dominated the statistics for large parts of the contest, but pleasing for Tandy, his side managed the onslaught well and punished with some expertly crafted finishes.

“Scramble defence was good; I thought we had a couple of opportunities, probably to do more with it as well.

“Look the fight of the group is outstanding, we spoke all week about Fiji having moments, probably more moments than we would have liked today, but that’s Test match rugby.

“They have some quality players littered around Europe playing in big teams; they’ve got power and pace, but I love the fact that our boys kept climbing in, and we controlled the second half, which was pleasing,” added Tandy.

To continue on the positives, which, for the past few years in Welsh rugby, have been overshadowed by so much negativity, Wales’ set-piece was a particular strength.

Pleasingly for Tandy as well, three of Wales’ six crosses came from set-pieces.

“Scoring six tries is outstanding for the boys, and I love when it comes from set-piece, even if it wasn’t Fijian-style rugby,” continued Tandy.

“It’s where we know tactically going into the game, but credit goes to the players,

“The way they go about it is outstanding. Also, the bench coming on makes a difference, and that is where we are getting the confidence to put people on, and we know they are going to kick on.

“Very, very pleased overall.” On the topic of set-pieces, Dewi Lake was the main protagonist when it came to the driving mauls, as his arrows were on point throughout the contest.

“Our dominance in the set-piece made things a lot easier for us, but we were physical as well,” Lake said.

“When we had the ball, we dominated collisions, and we got on the front foot.

“We showed how physical we can be.”

This was the first time Wales had scored six tries in a game since 2021; on that day, they did so against Fiji too. But on Saturday afternoon, they did so in front of a crowd of 16,456 at a stadium which has a capacity of more than 33,000.

Although it was on paper an ‘away’ contest, Wales’ next challenge is a short turnaround to face Argentina in San Juan next Saturday, before facing the world champions, who put aside England early Saturday evening 45-21, the following weekend in Durban.

On travelling to the southern hemisphere and the challenges of the short period between Tests, Tandy said: “What an experience for us as a team to go up against world-class teams again.

“Tours are special to go on, and you’re very lucky to go on and experience different countries and cultures. Also, you bond.

“The boys are bonding on and off the field all the time, but I think there is something unique and special about going to different countries. Argentina and South Africa, you are putting yourselves against the best.

“Again, there is travel to deal with; there are a lot of flights, but there won’t be any excuses. We’ll be trying to find a way to become a better Test match team.

“We’ll probably have one session together in Argentina. There are separate flights (going there).

“South Africa, we might get two (sessions) in. It’s something that we are looking at, and I think we are getting competitive in certain positions where we can probably manage things.

“We've seen the physicality today. It’s unbelievable how they put their bodies on the line. It's something we are definitely looking at."