S4C pundit Gwyn Jones takes apart every aspect of where Wales are going wrong and questions some baffling selection calls
10:10, 13 Feb 2026Updated 11:39, 13 Feb 2026
Tommy Reffell has been left out of the last two Wales squads despite the absence of Jac Morgan for the Six Nations(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Ninety per cent of Test matches are won and lost around set piece, the gain line, the kicking game and discipline. That’s it. That’s the list. The four fundamentals of international rugby.
All the chat about combinations, centres, wings, systems and “identity” is noise if those areas aren’t functioning. X-factor players are lovely. Shape is lovely. But they’re luxury items. First you need a house that isn’t on fire.
Twickenham was the latest reminder. It wasn’t a contest. It was an exposure. And the solution is not moving backs around like fridge magnets.
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Matches start at the set piece. Always have. Always will. Lineouts are rehearsed, controllable, coachable. Yet we operate like every throw is a surprise. Yes, middle and back ball give you options. But if you can’t hit them with accuracy, stop being greedy. Go to the front. Bank possession. Play from there. Ugly beats incompetent.
The scrum held up reasonably in London, but France are not England. They have a better scrum and will look to dominate, which is why I would have stuck with Nicky Smith at loosehead. Priority one is set-piece competence. Everything else comes after.
Defensively, Steve Tandy’s system has long been built around holding carriers up and creating choke tackles. Fine in theory. But you need men who can physically stop other men. Not slow them. Stop them. We’re light in that department.
What Wales can be, though, is an effective chop-tackling side. That doesn’t require giants. It gets the ball on the floor. And that’s where you can compete. Slow ruck speed, win penalties, create disorder. Which makes Tommy Reffell’s absence even more baffling. He’s a proven Test jackal, built for mess and ruck fights, and he’s not involved. If you’re going to chop, pick the man who lives over the ball.
Ross Moriarty? Yes. Not because he’s the future, but because he brings edge, needle and a willingness to make games unpleasant. Wales are far too easy to play against.
Ross Moriarty (Image: World Rugby)
Right now we don’t have the power or accuracy to play expansively, so stop pretending. The kicking game has to be a weapon, not just an exit. The new laws have turned the aerial battle into a lottery. That suits the underdog. More spills, more broken field, more chaos.
At the moment, that’s Wales’ best route to chances. It might involve a bit of fortune, but Wales aren’t in a position to be choosy about how they create opportunity. That said, it’s not just kick and hope. The kick must be precise, the chase connected, and the team alive to what happens next.
This side needs ballast. Moriarty helps. I’d also ring Jake Ball and ask if he’s got 40 minutes of bad intentions left.
Would it beat France? Unlikely. But it might stop Wales being walked through.
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France look close to something serious. Power first, skill layered on top. Galthié is building with South Africa in mind, not Wales. Their “locks” play like back rows because they are back rows. I’m not sure that pairing has the sheer heft for England or the Springboks, but they’ve more than enough for Wales.
Expectations in Cardiff are on the floor. The crowd will still bring the noise. But unless the fundamentals improve, it won’t matter how loud they are.
You don’t outplay teams from the back foot in Test rugby.
You earn the right.
Wales, right now, haven’t.
Gwyn Jones is part of S4C’s live coverage of every Wales match in the Six Nations. You can watch France v Wales from 2.30pm on Sunday.