The latest rugby news stories ahead of the Six Nations third round this weekend
Ken Owens says Welsh rugby has to finally unite or there won’t be a sport here anymore(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
These are your morning headlines on Tuesday, February 17.
Owens in stark warning to Welsh rugby
Wales legend Ken Owens has urged Welsh rugby to unite and pull together – warning that if steps aren’t taken “there won’t be rugby in Wales anymore”.
Owens was on punditry duty for S4C during Wales’ hammering at the hands of France at the Principality Stadium.
The Sherriff’s former international team-mates Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones also spoke at length on the current crisis Welsh rugby finds itself in and Owens added his own his own take, pointing to Sunday’s victors France as a framework that is clearly working on and off the pitch.
“I think the system is failing at every level at the moment,” Owens said to S4C.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
“And that’s what’s disappointing. The French system is really strong, but 10 years ago when they won the rights to hold the World Cup in 2023, they put this system in place, everyone bought into the system.
“The teams in Pro D2 and Top 14 and we’re seeing the fruits of that.
“We have to unite as a nation on this, the boys are trying their hardest. But the system in Wales has just died, and if we don’t do anything about it quickly and unite and come together, there won’t be rugby in Wales anymore.”
Freeman admits to mental struggles
England international Tommy Freeman admits to suffering from a mental hangover from last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour Down Under.
Freeman notched up six outings in the Lions’ 10 games in Australia and played in all three Tests against the Wallabies.
He played 34 matches for club and country in 2025 and the Northampton man admitted he struggled with the mental side of things without even realising it at the time.
“I struggled without realising it,” said Freeman to the Evening Standard. “My body felt good, but my mental state wasn’t in the best spot.
“You go on a big Lions tour, off the back of 34 games or so. It’s a lot of rugby.
“I locked myself in and it might have been a bit of built-up anxiety.
“I could probably have managed my off-time better and not gone on as many rollercoaster rides and things like that, probably just sat in the sun.
“Coming back, you’re adjusting and going through that routine again. Without realising it, I think I was tired.
“My body felt like I was OK to go and I was saying to coaches, ‘yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine’.
“Mentally it was a bit more of a struggle. I can’t really explain the feeling. It was a mix of up and downs.”
The back said club side Saints had been excellent at recognising the signs and giving him extra time when he needed it, with England also good at reintegrating him at the right speed.
Tandy needs help – Warburton
Wales great Sam Warburton says Steve Tandy needs help with the defence as his side continue to ship tries.
France put Wales to the sword yet again at the weekend and the defence was woeful at times, admittedly against star-studded opponents.
Tandy, himself a former defence coach, is sharing the burden with temporary coach Dan Lydiate at present but it is evident for all to see that a permanent appointment is needed. An announcement on a full-time addition to Tandy’s coaching ticket is expected in the summer.
“Steve’s admitted he’s probably spread himself a bit too thinly,” Warburton told BBC Sport.
“He’s been doing the defence with Dan Lydiate but then you’re trying to do the defence with all the other things that come with being a head coach.
“Dan is more the micro defensive skills [such as] tackle technique, competition on the floor.
“Wales don’t have a full-time defence coach [and] it’s not just about being a coach during campaign time. When the players are playing for their clubs, you’re there full-time, watching the regions play, or the Welsh-qualified players playing in England, and you can still keep dialogue and send clips.
“He needs to bring in a defence coach [but] it sounds like they can’t get people out of their contracts because it’s difficult to bring people in mid-season.
“For someone to come in as a full-time defence coach, they need to be tried and tested at this level.”
Wainwright: Scotland a chance to respond
By Phil Blanche, Press Association
Aaron Wainwright insists Wales are putting “building blocks” in place despite their horrendous run of results.
Wales suffered a 13th straight Six Nations loss to France in Cardiff on Sunday and a 23rd loss in 25 Test matches as Les Bleus romped to a 54-12 victory.
The France defeat attracted 57,744 fans – the smallest crowd for a Six Nations fixture at Principality Stadium – and Wales next host Scotland who are buoyed by beating England in Edinburgh.
“We spoke in the changing room afterwards, just what a great chance it’s going to be for us to come out here next week and deliver something better,” Dragons back-rower Wainwright said.
“If we can look to the future, look to next week and start to put those building blocks in place, the bigger picture will take care of itself.”
Wales lost their Championship opener 48-7 to England and have now conceded 42 tries in Steve Tandy’s six games in charge, with the only victory coming against Japan in the autumn.
Wainwright said: “It’s obviously tough, first two games of the championship, tough scorelines.
“We spoke after the game just about the bigger picture and the journey that we’re going on as a team.
“Just to try and concentrate on that, take the learnings from each game.
“Hopefully over the next couple of weeks, later down the line, we can look back on these results and performances and think how far we’ve come.
“I think we were quite tight in defence at times, a couple of times they were going passes off 10 or off nine quite wide and they were getting around us, so I think we just weren’t fanning out enough in (defence).
“I think they caught us there and once they get that, being able to go into their offloading there.
“It’s quite hard to get it back under control. That’s when they come into their own, so it was tough to deal with.”