Tandy overwhelmed with pride as Wales end drought

Wales head coach Steve Tandy was “overwhelmed with pride” after his team ended their Six Nations drought with a 31-17 win against Italy.

A three-year, 15-game losing streak in the championship ended in Cardiff thanks to a double by number eight Aaron Wainwright and tries by hooker Dewi Lake and fly-half Dan Edwards, who also kicked 11 points.

After going into the game encouraged by spirited performances in defeats by Scotland and Ireland, Tandy’s men got a long-awaited win in style at Principality Stadium.

It was the second win of the Tandy era and his first Six Nations victory, while Wales had only previously beaten Japan twice in 27 Tests since their 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina.

They started the tournament with heavy defeats by England and France but have shown green shoots, despite a third Wooden Spoon on the bounce.

“England was a massive lesson for us, we didn’t impose anything of what we wanted to do and we panicked with our discipline,” said Tandy.

“Since then I believe the boys have grown every week, have got a bit of confidence and had a bit of cohesion as a team.

Captain Lake has had to conduct plenty of tough post-match interviews – he called the late loss to Scotland “gut-wrenching” – but was able to enjoy happier reflections.

“We hope we have restored some faith in the jersey and into what this group can do,” said the Gloucester-bound Ospreys hooker.

“I am overjoyed for the boys because of how hard they have worked. That performance sums up how we have grown in the last two to three weeks.

“The scoreline was similar to half-time against Scotland and to come out and score first, to never give up on the moment, to stay switched on and stay in every play shows how we have learned.

“That was a performance we have built towards and this group deserves it massively.

Italy enjoyed victories against Scotland and England but fell short in their bid to win three games in a Six Nations campaign for the first time.

They fought back from 31-0 down and head coach Gonzalo Quesada was left to rue missed opportunities and TMO decisions.

“We had three disallowed tries – logically, because they were not tries – because Wales never gave up,” said the former Argentina fly-half.