Six Nations 2026: Wales coach Steve Tandy will be hoping to repeat the away success against England

Tandy is looking forward to his opening Six Nations match in charge of his homeland.

“The Six Nations is the biggest tournament in the world outside of the World Cup and we are lucky to be part of it,” Tandy said.

“I feel grateful for the opportunity to represent your country in the tournament.

“It’s going to be amazing, I feel so honored to have these opportunities. I know my girls are excited too.”

“There will undoubtedly be tension, but I want the boys to go out there and represent themselves the best they can.

“I’m honored to coach these players. It’s incredible to work with them.”

Wales prepared for the match against the backdrop of Welsh rugby’s recent off-field crisis, with the Ospreys’ future in doubt.

Four players feature in Wales’ 23-man squad, joined by captain Dewey Lake, Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardie and Harry Davies.

“The unrest has been around for a while,” Tandy said.

“Our boys have been fantastic and this is a testament to them as people.

“You can get away from that outside noise a little bit but they are very focused on the game and how we want to grow our team.

“So I don’t think they have a lot of distraction. In a weird way, they focus more on the daily tasks and make us better on Saturday.”