Six Nations 2026: What Wales must improve on against Scotland

The WRU expects a larger attendance than the 57,744 people who attended last week. This was the lowest figure in a Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium since its construction in 1999.

This is the result of Wales having lost 23 of their previous 25 matches, with 13 successive Six Nations defeats stretching back to March 2023, and the off-field turmoil surrounding the match.

Captain Dewey Lake faced the now regular weekly question about the importance of home support.

“It helps a lot, and you talk about people being a 16th player, especially in this stadium where the roof is closed,” Lake said.

“It resonated and the national anthem was great last week. Our job is to bring fans into the stadium, out of their seats and into the game.”

“The Emirate Stadium can explode, and it’s unbelievable when that happens. It’s the heartbeat of the nation when that’s the case, and it’s our job to make people shake and put a smile on faces.

“I suppose all we ask for in return is support and noise, and people feed us that energy, because we feed off crowds and their noise and their reactions.”

These exciting words have not been backed by recent success. The earth is no longer a fortress. This has not been the case for some time.

It’s now where other teams come to enjoy themselves, with England, Argentina, South Africa and France having recorded record victories in Cardiff in the past 11 months.

Wales have not won a Six Nations match in Cardiff since their February 2022 win over Scotland, some 1,470 days ago.

The Scots ended a 22-year drought when they won at the Principality Stadium two years ago in a 27-26 thriller.