Wales travel to Twickenham on the back of losing 21 of their last 23 Tests, but Wales head coach Steve Tandy insisted his side needs a firm test as they face England at Allianz Stadium on Saturday (KO: 16:40).
It’s the sort of matchup that boxing promoters would schedule after their fresh new world champion wins their first World title, a guaranteed win in their backyard before moving on to bigger and tougher opposition.
Greene King is offering a free pint to anyone who books a table at a Greene King sports pub for a Six Nations game on Saturday, 7 February. Customers can claim their pint by booking online and showing confirmation at the bar.
That’s exactly the way Steve Borthwick will be looking at Saturday’s clash against the ‘Old Enemy’. Following that, England head to Murrayfield, then host Ireland, before back-to-back away games against Italy and France.
Wales will need to keep their guard up for as long as possible, remain disciplined, and attack patiently, but with all that said, it looks unlikely that Tandy’s side will be triumphant for the first time since 2012 in the Six Nations in the English capital.
On facing a side who are currently ranked number three in the World Rugby rankings, Tandy said: “We have to look inward and look ourselves in the mirror.
“We have to take the challenge to England. There were moments in the autumn when we played well, but this will be a different experience away from home. These are the tests that you want in international rugby.
“We are going to play the form team in world rugby, and it will be awesome to see our development. I don’t think it will be intimidating; it will be exciting. We have massive respect for what England do and the way that they play the game, with how efficient they are and the power they have.
“These are the games that we want to be involved in.”
Wales on Thursday morning announced that Louis Rees-Zammit will play his first international game in south-west London, wearing the 15 jersey. This comes following Blair Murray being brutally exposed during the November Tests.
This will be the fourth time that the 25-year-old has started at fullback for Wales, after playing there during the 2022/23 season.
The former winger, who returned to the international arena against Argentina off the bench, has been playing consistently for Bristol Bears in his “preferred position”.
“Zammo only had a couple of games before the autumn, and we got him back in at wing,” added Tandy.
“He has played full-back before, so it’s not something that was fundamentally new but he has played there for Bristol and is getting fit. He is threatening and if there is a kick that is too long, then something can happen, as we have seen for Bristol.
“I am excited by his aerial work as well. As much as he is quick, he is a big man as well. We are really excited to see Zammo there, and it’s adding competition. Blair played all of the games for us in the autumn, but we need competition to get better and become the team that we want to be.
“We have left Blair out of the 23, and he has responded in training. That’s only good for us going forward.”
He is joined in the back three alongside Cardiff’s Josh Adams and Scarlets’ Ellis Mee, perhaps the inform winger in Wales at the moment. However, this sees Tom Rogers, who scored a hat-trick against New Zealand in November, as well as Gabriel Hamer-Webb, not involved.
“I feel really excited about our back three and the way the game is going, you have to think about the aerial game,” said Tandy.
“With Ellis, it’s not just the aerial stuff; he’s been outstanding defensively, he’s been picking up jackals, and then he scored that try against Ulster.
“It has also been really exciting seeing competition in training. Tommy Rogers, who scored a hat-trick against New Zealand, isn’t involved, which is exciting for us.
“Then you have Gabe (Hamer-Webb), who has come in for us and has been outstanding in training, Mason Grady has been excellent as well, and then you have Josh Adams, who has all the experience.
“We have physicality and young men with exciting futures in Welsh rugby.”
Another talking point from the Thursday squad announcement was surrounding the 46-year-old’s decision regarding tight-head. Bath Rugby’s Archie Griffin, who has started twice since the autumn against the All Blacks, has been picked from the off.
For Provences’ Tomas Francis, he is set to play his first game since the beginning of January as Tandy has named him on the bench. His last game for Wales came against Argentina in Marseille in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
On the decision of selecting Francis on the bench, Tandy added: “He came in on a Sunday, we do a lighter day on a Monday, trained Tuesday and then had to go back (Provence).
“He wasn’t here at the weekend, and to be fair to Archie, he has been immersed in everything we’ve done over the Autumn, and we feel it’s probably the right fit.
“Also, with the new format of the Six Nations, three games in three weeks is going to be taxing. I don’t see it being the same all the way through the tournament because it is so demanding for the players, even when it was 2-1-2 (games).
“We have the opportunity to bring Franny on and add his experience and then reassess as the tournament goes on.
“He’s fit and has come through a slightly different training model.”
Wales have endured a torrid run of form since Francis’s last outing in the jersey, this has included a record 18-Test losing run and brutal losses against England (68-14) and South Africa (73-0) at home.
They have not recorded a win in the Six Nations since March 2023 against Italy in Rome, and head into the 2026 championship aiming not to pick up their third consecutive wooden spoon.
“I believe in this group, and I believe we are going to perform better than we did in the autumn,” continued Tandy.
“We want to come off the field and look ourselves in the mirror and know that we did everything in our power.
“We have a vision of where we want to take our game to, and we know that doesn’t come just overnight. But there will be no lack of effort or desire when the game comes around on Saturday.
“It’s a game that has a rivalry, and tribalism is important in Wales, as everyone can see. In international rugby, you have always got to be at your best to be competitive.
“Any Test match win is fantastic, and you savour them. If you go back to the Japan win, it wasn’t the performance we wanted, but we got the win.
“You want to win any which way you can, but ultimately for us to go forward, we have to get a performance.”
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