After conceding 102 points in their first two matches of the 2026 Six Nations, scoring just 19, Wales ended the third and fourth days of the Tournament losing by 3 and 10 points against Scotland and Ireland, two of the teams that will play for the final victory on Saturday 14 March.
This simple run of results is the best testament to the dramatic improvement in the performances of the Welsh national team, as they prepare for the most important match of their campaign, the home match against Italy next Saturday.
A match that rightly worries the Azzurri, euphoric and invigorated by the historic result against England, but also tired and worn out after a competition in which they were at such a high level for all four matches.
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Even in Cardiff, however, the strain of last week’s match is being felt: on Friday against Ireland, Wales made a remarkable 241 tackles, with five players exceeding the 20-man threshold. Alex Mann, a flanker who is enjoying a superb Six Nations campaign, set a new record for tackles in a single match of the tournament with 33. Captain Dewi Lake made 25 in 56 minutes, adding 14 tackles. These workloads leave significant marks, despite the extra day of recovery.
Against Italy, Wales should have Aaron Wainwright back, who was injured in the Ireland match, and Sam Costelow, the fly-half who could challenge Dan Edwards for the starting role, will also try to make it.
“Come quel fantastico inizio del 1997, Dublino sotto alla neve e Grenoble sotto alle Alpi imbiancate, quando il Sei Nazioni era ancora un pensiero irraggiungibile e quella doppietta che sapeva di meraviglia ci fece credere arrivati, ma allora si era creata una incredibile connessione tra squadra, staff, stampa, si viveva da carbonari dello sport italiano e tutti insieme si era deciso di sognare un nuovo orizzonte.”
The match looks set to be anything but a foregone conclusion. The hosts are benefiting from the added motivation of seeing the opportunity to win a Six Nations match after 15 consecutive defeats, and they’ve shown with their last two performances that they’re at the level needed to compete.
To restore his team’s competitiveness, Steve Tandy, Wales’ head coach since last September, has focused on what he does best: tightening up the defense. Before becoming the Dragons’ head coach , Tandy’s experience was primarily focused on coaching defence, an area in which he is recognized as one of the world’s best.
First with the Waratahs in Australia, then with Scotland, and then selected by Warren Gatland in 2021 to take charge of the Lions’ defence, Tandy has been one of the architects of the Scottish national team’s growth alongside Gregor Townsend, focusing on a dense, rugged defensive system based on strong climbing speed and capable of bringing out the best even against teams that are struggling in other areas of the game in physical confrontations.
This last aspect is what works best for the current Wales team, a team with limited talent, with players who aren’t exceptional physically or athletically, but with pride, courage, and a spirit of sacrifice to spare. The players support each other, the team pushes the defensive climb and closes the attack by breaking out wide, trying to force the opponents back inside the pitch, where the pack is ready to double-tackle every tackle, win collisions, and raise hell by threatening possession at every breakdown .
While the attack still relies on sometimes impromptu initiatives to get something done, such as the wonderful run of a red-haired prop to defeat a desperate attacking midfielder, Wales’ defense is capable of keeping the team in the game, as it did against Scotland and Ireland.
