Six Nations 2026: Wales v France – Head coach Steve Tandy says host nation is still a rugby nation

Tandy made four changes to his staff for the French Test and kept faith with captain and hooker Dewi Lake, who received criticism after Wales’ poor line-up against England.

Tandy said: “The match is difficult and we will not make rash decisions.”

“Dewey is our leader and he leads from the front. People can come in to get some stick without understanding the full details of what it is.”

“You then have to check the areas he is sticking to. If it is around the goal line, there are a lot of things that could be different, such as calling or opposing.

“There was no doubt in my mind about playing Dewey this weekend.”

Tandy says any personal abuse players received on social media was wrong.

“The only time I feel conscious is when people tell me things,” Tandy said.

“I’ve never been on social media and I’ve never looked for something, good or bad.

“People will give me information, and I have young children too.

“I want to be aware of the players, because I know a lot of this is ridiculous because they are human beings.

“It’s being aware of what’s going on, making sure you can help those, but also being aware that you’re playing high-end sport and international rugby.”

Tandy says there will be an audit.

“I don’t need people to tell me when we didn’t perform, I completely understand that, and I feel like I’m a very honest person,” Tandy said.

“I talked to the players about external influences that do not affect us.

“There is disappointment, we love our support, we want to make the country proud of the way we play.

“We have to give it our all, and make sure we can be the best we can be, any time we step into a Wales shirt.”