Wales coach hails players after Six Nations breakthrough

CARDIFF, March 14 - Wales coach Steve Tandy hailed his players' efforts after they ended a three-year wait for a Six Nations victory by beating Italy 31-17 on Saturday.

The win ended a run of 15 successive defeats in the competition for the Welsh, who were roared on by a 70,000-strong crowd at the Principality Stadium.

"I think massive pride within the group helped us to win, plus the crowd were unbelievable. That connection to our nation is massive, and the boys responded to it. It’s a massively emotional day for us," Tandy told a press conference.

Wales outscored Italy by four tries to three but let a 31-0 lead early in the second half slip before emerging as winners for the first time in the competition since March 2023.

"It’s been a long time coming, winning in the Six Nations, so I'm overwhelmed with pride. We asked for a performance and we felt if we got a performance, we’d get the result. The boys really did that today."

Wales had suffered 25 losses in 27 internationals since the 2023 World Cup, with the only two victories coming against Japan, and their domestic game has been the subject of restructuring which has caused much controversy.

"There's a lot going on, but we want to create an environment where people want to come, enjoy working and representing their nation," Tandy said.

Tandy said confidence and discipline had been the major factors in the turn around.

"The players have seen that when we deliver our game, we can be very competitive, but we have a long way to go to be consistent.

"That performance has been coming. We've focused on not getting ahead of ourselves and making sure each part of our game improves.

"But the intent was there from the start from this young group.

"They're a great group to work with. They're young, desperate to learn and get better, whether they win or lose. Their effort is amazing," the coach added. REUTERS