By Jacob Hall, Second Year, Comparative Literature and Cultures and French
In light of their sobering performances in the opening three matches of the Six Nations, what does the rest of the tournament hold for Wales?
Few will be surprised that they racked up a -83 point difference after just two games, with England and France proving formidable opponents. And despite major improvements, the recent defeat to Scotland was a difficult pill to swallow. However, will it be another tournament of disappointment for The Dragons, or will they make amendments in their following two matches?
First of all, let’s have a look at how they fared in their opening three matches:
Matchday 1: England vs Wales
Wales against England is more than just a game. It’s a rivalry like no other and has always been a hotly contested encounter – until recently, that is…
Henry Arundell scored within 8 minutes for England's first try of the campaign. George Ford was cool as a cucumber throughout the match, commanding the backfield for England and unforgivingly dropping spiral bomb after spiral bomb on the ragged Welsh backs. The flyhalf pulled off an audacious cross-field kick to Arundell for his – and England’s – second try, fully exploiting the space created by two Welsh yellow cards for repeated infringements.
Number 8 Ben Earl found himself on the wing, and ploughed through Welsh winger Ellis Mee as if he were not there. A fitting analogy would be to imagine a collision between a fire engine and a Ford Fiesta – you get the idea. The onslaught was not over yet, though, and a poor pass from Ben Thomas saw Fraser Dingwall pounce upon the loose ball and deliver a simple pass to Arundell who, putting on the afterburners, waltzed over the line for his hattrick!
At this point, having had enough, a passionate member of Welshsoc (my housemate), left the White Harte.
Half Time: 29 - 0
Wales set off on the wrong foot, and things never really picked up from there. Not even five minutes into the second half, even with 15 men on the field, the gaps opened up as the Welsh players bunched in the midfield, leaving a 4-on-1 for England to stroll in once again.
However, it was not all doom and gloom for Wales. Following Itoje’s moment of ill-discipline, Welsh fly-half Dan Edwards recreated George Ford’s earlier assist in lofting a kick to Josh Adams, who got Wales’ first, and only, points of the evening. A penalty try was awarded following a high tackle on Henry Pollock before Tommy Freeman scored England’s final try right in the corner. A tricky conversation for Ford, who narrowly missed, denying England the illustrious 50-point mark and saving Wales’ blushes - somewhat.
Wales were handed their third-heaviest loss against England, although not quite as harsh a battering as they received in 2025, losing 68-14. But I’m clutching at straws here…
Full Time: 48 - 7
Matchday 2: Wales vs France
Swathes of red, white, and blue, berets and baguettes, took over the Welsh capital. The match can be described as nothing short of a demolition job handed to Wales by Les Bleus, unfolding in an uncannily similar manner to that of a week prior.
Wales were on the ropes from the opening whistle. Emilien Gailleton scored within two minutes, and then two more in quick succession from Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Fabian Brau-Boirie, carving through the Welsh defence like a hot knife through butter.
However, just a few minutes later, Wales got their first try of the evening thanks to a moment of raw power from Rhys Carre who powered over French flanker Oscar Jegou. This shifted the tempo of the game as the scoreboard did not change for the better half of twenty minutes. However, whatever glimpse of hope was ignited by this was then extinguished. Just before half time, France capitalised on a reprehensible effort by second-row Adam Beard to clear his lines. What was he thinking? The ball hit a French player, and Théo Attissogbe swiftly gathered it, and a sharp pass to Jalibert opened up 35 metres of unguarded green turf in front of him to stroll over for a first-half French bonus point.
Half Time: 7 - 26
The rout continued in the second half, French forwards driving over the line within four minutes. Energetic and sprightly French backs ran rings around a weary defence, creating space at will. Co-commentator and former Scottish international Jim Hamilton stated that France ”made the Welsh defence look like it was running in a bowl of rice pudding” – ouch!
For the second time, my housemate took her leave, pint half finished - she had seen enough.
The final quarter was gearing up to be a particularly ugly one for Wales, having just conceded a further two tries in just as many minutes.
For the most part, the Welsh attack was sluggish, lacking any true conviction. However, some consolation for the fans can be found in these final twenty minutes where they put up a spirited performance. They held France at bay, and even managed to pick up some points of their own at the death. Thanks to some lovely footwork from Reese-Zammit, who fired a bullet pass to Mason Grady, they had a walk-in over the line.
Nevertheless, the game was lost before it even started, realistically within twenty minutes, and officially after eighty. Oh well – at least England lost too.
Full time: 12 - 54
Matchday 3: Wales vs Scotland
The opening minutes were hardly smooth sailing for the home side. The game threatened to be over before it even started, with Joe Hawkins getting sent to the bin with an off-field review for a potential red card due to a blatant high tackle.
Even with 14 men, they valiantly defended their line and a try-saving interception from Josh Adams, followed by a steal in the lineout after clearing their lines, saw them miraculously storm up the pitch. Within minutes, Rhys Carre scored for the second match running to give them the lead – the first time they had been in front in this Six Nations. Good news… and then bad news followed for Wales. The high tackle was deemed passive, not meeting the red-card threshold, but the visitors were quick to respond with a brilliantly-executed move from the backs seeing Kyle Steyn cut the deficit to two points.
Nevertheless, the tide was still in their favour. Twenty minutes in and they were overpowering Scotland, emphasised through a further try from Adams and a penalty kick, sending the players going into the tunnel with a healthy lead. Finally, could this be it for Steve Tandy’s side?
Half time: 17 - 5
However, it proved to be a game of two halves…
Scottish maestro Finn Russell, at the turn of the 55th minute, unlocked the Welsh defence with a clever dummy, shortly before a moment Welsh fans will sure want to forget just four minutes later:
Scottish forward Scott Cummings was penalised for going off his feet. Wales took the easy three points to settle the nerves – or so they thought; an unforgivable lapse in concentration just twenty seconds later from the quick restart saw Darcy Graham weave through a sea of red unnoticed to gather the loose ball and saunter over the line. In the blink of an eye, from a 15-point buffer, the deficit was reduced to just four points.
Scotland were rapidly closing the gap, and would Wales rue past decisions? Cast your mind back to the 30-minute mark, when Wales, handed a penalty just five metres from the Scottish line, opted to take the points on offer. Could Wales hold on?
A crunching tackle from Tuipulotu on Reese-Zammit, as the clock struck 70 minutes, agonisingly denied a potential try-scoring opportunity for the men in red, causing the Welsh fullback, who lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, to knock the ball on. Scotland and George Turner mauled over the Welsh line following a five-metre lineout in the 75th minute, breaking Welsh hearts. The fatal blow was dealt to Wales when they lost their own scrum just shy of the Scottish 22-metre line; the visitors merely ran down the clock until the 80th minute. The game was all over, and Wales had thrown away a comfortable lead. At least England lost, again…
Full Time: 23 - 26
The Principality was once considered a fortress; now it's more like a playground for the visitors. They host an improved Italian side there on the final matchday, but not before travelling to the Aviva Stadium to face Ireland, who, having come off the back of their win against England, have the wind in their sails. Again, Wales have their work cut out for them!
So, where exactly did it all go wrong? Find out in part 2…
Will you be tuning in to Wales vs Ireland tomorrow?
Featured Image: Instagram @taineplumtree
