The Six Nations is almost upon us and Wales are going into it as serious underdogs
Former England fly-half Stuart Barnes says Wales could “deliver the most unexpected of wins” during the upcoming Six Nations, with Steve Tandy’s side having “apparently little to lose”.
Tandy’s men head into their championship opener against England next weekend looking for their first win in the competition in nearly three years, with their last victory coming against Italy in March 2023.
While they have been widely written off in terms of beating Steve Borthwick’s side, who are viewed by many as this year’s favourites for the title, there is hope that, under Tandy’s leadership, Wales can finally put an end to their dismal losing run in the tournament.
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That is a belief shared by Barnes who, after watching back-to-back wooden spoon campaigns from Wales, believes that they could produce an upset against Scotland if fuelled by optimism and the “pressure of chasing victory [being] less than usual”.
“Wales have picked up the wooden spoon for the past two seasons,” he wrote for The Times.
“Steve Tandy’s team start their campaign against in-form England at Twickenham and, in round two, champions France arrive in Cardiff.
“It could be carnage in the Welsh capital city. Nobody expects them to win their first two games — and they won’t — but with the pressure of chasing victory less than usual, Wales have a chance to come up with a team and game to trouble Scotland.
“It would help if the Welsh rugby fans judged their teams on performance and not results against England and France. A packed house and any sort of optimism can help them produce the most unexpected of wins against Scotland.”
Barnes pointed to Wales’ depth in the back-row, citing the omission of Tommy Reffell as a sign that Tandy has an embarrassment of riches from which to choose in that area.
“Frankly, any team able to omit the Leicester Tigers open-side Tommy Reffell from their Six Nations squad is either utterly profligate, or better than the catastrophic run of recent results suggest,” Barnes added.
“With apparently little to lose, Wales could deliver the most unexpected of wins.”
As for Wales’ key man during the tournament, the 1993 British & Irish Lions tourist pointed to Tandy’s captain.
“When a side is used to losing, it takes character as much as class to infuse team-mates with the requisite belief,” he said. “The Welsh skipper, Dewi Lake, has that character.”
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