Everything the Wales coach had to say after the 54-12 defeat to France
Wales were once again hammered in the Six Nations, falling to a 54-12 defeat to France in Cardiff. In front of the lowest Six Nations crowd at the Principality Stadium, Steve Tandy’s side were a distant second-best throughout.
Here’s what the Wales coach had to say afterwards…
How do you reflect on that defeat?
“Obviously disappointed with the scoreline. You’ve got to tip your hat to France and what they brought. There was more in us today. Parts of the game, I know you’re all looking at me like I’m stupid, with the path we’re on, I thought there were glimpses. With the set-piece and the intent of how we wanted to go after the game. We’ve come up against a class team.
“There was enough today where we can go back on Tuesday and work on things. It’s not the scoreline we want but it’s part of the journey we’re on. Every nation is at different stages. We’ve got to focus on the things we did better today. Discipline and set-piece was better. Obviously there’s still areas we need to grow. But it’s coming in on Tuesday making sure we’re ready to produce a better performance next week.”
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Was that fourth try disappointing to concede in that manner, after you’d worked your way back into game?
“You probably saw my reaction and that’s why you’re asking! It’s disappointing. That’s not aimed at anyone. But we worked our way back in and had some moments. That’s the thing we worked on all week. If we have a transition, we want to move it. To concede off it as well, those are the moments in Test rugby where teams punish you.
“That was a big moment. We’d worked our way back into the game. You transition, you shift. We showed we can score and cause pressure when we transition. That’s Test match rugby. We’re playing the best teams in the world. You get punished if you knock off for a second.
“As a group, we’re at a stage where we can’t get away with those things. This is where we are in this journey. We’ve got to get excited by the stuff we did better. But we’ve got to be in games against the big teams for longer, so then the backend of the game can look different.”
That was the smallest Six Nations crowd for a game in Wales – does that affect you and the players?
“Like I said, the players love the fans. You look at the effort of those players. Genuinely, we’ve got the best stadium and fans in the world. Even with limited numbers, when they get behind the team at the end, with the scoreboard away from us. It does inspire the players.
“There’s no way we’re winning the game at the backend, but the crowd are still there. You can see with our players. Are we the team we want to be? No. But this group are amazing to work with and you can see their effort. If we can sell out stadiums, that’s going to make a difference.”
You’re staying positive, but can you understand why fans won’t feel that way?
“Look, I’m a coach, I understand as well. At the end of the day, most people see the outcome. People will comment on things without always seeing the data. I’ve got an understanding of where we are. We’ve got young players and combinations coming in. We have to go through it and experience it.
“I’m very optimistic in my view on it. I knew the challenge that it was coming into Wales. It excites me about where we can go. Hopefully we can look back in 18 months time or whenever it is, and this was a part of it. We can’t click our fingers and be one of the best in the world. It’s a process.
“There’s also the context of the six games we’ve played. Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa out of the window, England and France. There was also Japan, where we didn’t get the performance with the win. But there has to be an understanding of who we’re playing. We know where we want to be as a team, but we also know where we are.
“It’s that understanding that we’re 11th in the world and have won two games in 20-plus games. It won’t come overnight. For me as a coach, it’s seeing where we are growing. You might not see the bits adding together. But I do believe when I’m seeing the training week, with the mindset of the boys and how they keep coming back. But we’ve got some young kids and it’ll take some time.”
What does the attendance say about the wider picture of Welsh rugby?
“The only bit I can control is the team. That’s the only bit that excites me. I understand there’s lots going on and has been in Wales for a really long time. At the end of the day, you want to unify everything. We’re a small nation, we need everything to be flowing in the right direction.
“I genuinely believe everyone – the people, the clubs, you guys as journos – we all need to play our part in how we get there. That optimistic view of we can get there, but we all need to play our part. There needs to be some patience to get change. It doesn’t happen overnight. I’d love it to be just questions solely on our performance, but that’s not where we’re at either.”
How difficult was it to get anything from the aerial game against France?
“We probably kicked a little long to start. Then we changed and cross-field, but they punished us there. Some of the offloads from that catch, you tip your hat to that. We felt that was a positive for us last week. They’re electric on transition. We probably weren’t as accurate in the kicking game as we wanted to be this week. Last week, we felt we grew at that. It’s a never-ending jigsaw puzzle to fill in. We’ll go back and adapt for next week.”
Can France go on and win the Grand Slam?
“They’re a quality outfit. Probably the form team. Their power and some of the offloading they’ve got. The forwards can do things. They’re in a great space to achieve that, but the Six Nations is funny.
“There’s not a complacency there. They’re playing at a high level, so I don’t see why not. They’re a formidable outfit.”
How important is it to arrest the number of points you’re conceding before the team start to really get demoralised?
“Yes, it is demoralising. But that’s where we’re at at this minute in time. We’ve conceded lots of yellow cards and points. It’s not an effort-based thing. There’s things we need to tidy up. If you look at the teams we’re playing, not that it’s an excuse for the point numbers we’re conceding, we’re playing pretty ruthless teams.
“It’s something we’re working hard to address. There’s a balance to getting everything right as a team. It’s at the forefront of what we’re trying to do. But with the game at the minute, there are more points being scored than before.
“With the way it’s being refereed, you get on the wrong side of the referee and it can rack up pretty easily. It’s something we’re working really hard to address. We’re not going to win games by conceding 50 points. I totally understand that. We’re keen to address it and build confidence in what we’re trying to do.”