The verdict on the Wales team as Tandy refuses to rip up side in gamble

Wales must show more resistance this weekend, with Tandy at least picking a slightly more powerful outfit against France

10:53, 13 Feb 2026

After Wales were torn apart 48-7 by England, many expected Steve Tandy to swing the axe.

Instead, the Wales boss has chosen subtle surgery over wholesale change ahead of an even more daunting test against France at the Principality Stadium. It is a calculated gamble — and one that will be ruthlessly exposed if it backfires.

France are arguably a more formidable foe than England and if Fabien Galthie’s side are as physical and as slick with the ball as they were when they eased past Ireland last Thursday then Wales are in for a long afternoon at the Principality Stadium this Sunday.

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A lack of powerful ball carriers capable of running into heavy traffic and making post-contact metres has been a consistent weakness over the past couple of years.

This is why Tandy has opted for Rhys Carré over Nicky Smith.

Carré is not as strong a scrummager as his counterpart but is an explosive carrier capable of making dents with ball in hand.

It is also a sensible move to start Tomas Francis alongside Carré.

Francis is the strongest scrummaging tighthead in the squad by far and Archie Griffin’s exuberance is far better suited coming off the bench.

It is also a wise move putting Ryan Elias onto the bench in place of Liam Belcher. Elias is the strongest scrummaging hooker in Wales and is a powerful ball carrier.

In the lead up to the game, Wales attack coach Matt Sherratt has spoken about the need for his side to hold onto the ball and be better in the first three phases.

But in order to do this they need to be far more disciplined than they were at Allianz Stadium Twickenham, and they need to win the collisions.

When it comes to winning collisions this is the main reason Olly Cracknell has been brought into the starting XV.

Wales’ back-row of Alex Mann, Josh Macleod and Aaron Wainwright was arguably a bit too lightweight to take on a juggernaut England pack.

The France pack will be just as heavy with the likes of Julien Marchand, Mickaël Guillard, Charles Ollivon and Anthony Jelonch big carriers who threw Ireland from pillar to post in Paris last week.

Leicester Tigers backrower Cracknell is consistently one of the strongest carriers in the Gallagher Prem and is a destructive tackler who rarely loses the collision.

If Wales are to get more of their game onto the field then they need the likes of Carré, Cracknell and Wainwright to get over the gainline.

A backrow of Wainwright, Alex Mann and Cracknell has a better balance to it.

France are just as strong, if not stronger, than England up-front but are a bit more flamboyant with their offloading game and passing from the point of contact.

As a result if Wales lose the collisions to the extent they did last week they will get blown away and the scoreline will probably be even worse than it was at Twickenham.

There will also be a huge onus on Alex Mann as the openside in terms of slowing down the speed of France’s ruck ball.

If Wales fails to do that the visitors will run riot.

Ben Thomas has paid the price for his below par performance at Twickenham, as he did in the autumn.

There is a bit more cohesion in midfield because Joe Hawkins and Eddie James play together regularly for the Scarlets.

They have performed well as a unit of late and Hawkins knows how to get the best out of the powerful James who needs to run his weight on Sunday.

James is a big man and must punch some holes in the France defence with ball in hand.

Realistically Wales do not have a hope of overcoming Les Bleus on the weekend but they must offer far more resistance than they did in round one of the Six Nations.

If the lineout can function better, they cut out the unforced errors and silly penalties while playing in the right areas, they should at the very least be able to keep the scoreline respectable.

After the horrors of Twickenham, that would represent tangible progress.

Because another capitulation at the Principality Stadium would deepen the crisis — and intensify the scrutiny on a side still searching for its identity.

Sunday is less about victory and more about resistance.

And after what happened in round one, that alone would be a step forward.