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<\/p>\nJim Hamilton believes Wales made a ‘crazy’ decision last week and hopes they learn from their mistakes<\/p>\n
Rugby pundit Jim Hamilton (second left) criticised Wales’ decision to close the roof against France(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n
Former Scotland international Jim Hamilton admits he was shocked by Wales\u2019 decision to close the roof for their Six Nations<\/a> clash with France, branding it \u201ccrazy\u201d after the recent rule change handed the WRU full control.<\/p>\n Under new regulations introduced in January 2025, Wales will play all their international fixtures at the Principality Stadium with the roof closed for two years. Previously, Six Nations rules required both teams to agree before the retractable roof could be shut.<\/p>\n The Welsh Rugby Union said the move would guarantee consistent conditions and maximise atmosphere inside the stadium.<\/p>\n But speaking on BBC’s Scrum V, Hamilton questioned the logic of shutting out the elements against a France side widely regarded as one of the most skilful in world rugby.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be too harsh on Wales, but if you know what\u2019s coming from the French players and the quality they\u2019ve got \u2014 they are just incredible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I was just like, \u2018Why is the roof closed?!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWhen [Scotland] came to Wales, we wanted the roof open. It\u2019s a leveller. It\u2019s a 50\/50 game.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I seen the roof was closed, I was like, \u2018This could be 60 or 70 points\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate<\/a> or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings<\/p>\n Hamilton insisted his comments were not a slight on the Welsh players, but rather an acknowledgement of the gulf in resources and depth between the two nations.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s no disrespect to Wales,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen they step out on the pitch, you\u2019ve got the Top 14 which is booming, thriving, athletes are getting paid hundreds of thousands of euros.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the flip side, you\u2019ve got Welsh lads going into that game who don\u2019t know if they\u2019ve got contracts next year. Plus the stadium is not full.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I thought they conducted themselves in a way in which I would be proud of. Their set-piece, they were physical, disciplined. They looked like a team on the right path \u2014 but it was an impossible task.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamilton doubled down on his stance earlier this week when previewing Wales\u2019 upcoming clash with Scotland, again referencing the roof decision and how conditions can influence games at the highest level.<\/p>\n JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWith the roof closed \u2014 which I think is a crazy decision for Wales as the weather<\/a> is a leveller, as we\u2019ve seen \u2014 and you look at Scotland\u2019s skillset and the way they can get into the wide channels, then you can see a tough day at the office for Wales,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He argued that dry, controlled conditions suit sides like France, and Scotland, who thrive on width, tempo and precision kicking.<\/p>\n \u201cFinn Russell is the best in the world, he might be the best we\u2019ve ever seen when it comes to that selection of kicking into the wide channels,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cThat\u2019s where Wales have holes.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless it\u2019s a wet day and the roof doesn\u2019t close, I want to see Scotland kick on.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what his message would be if he were in charge of Wales, Hamilton replied: \u201cIf I was Steve Tandy, I\u2019m not closing the roof. I\u2019m saying keep it open, please.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose it would be to not give Scotland any ball, however you do that. Scotland\u2019s back line is freakishly good.<\/p>\n \u201cIn order to get into the game, they\u2019re going to have to take risks. They\u2019re going to have to be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n The WRU\u2019s decision to take unilateral control of the roof was designed to create consistency and atmosphere, with stadium officials previously describing it as one of Welsh rugby\u2019s \u201cgreatest assets\u201d.<\/p>\n But Hamilton\u2019s comments have reignited debate over whether home advantage in Cardiff<\/a> is better served by amplifying noise inside a closed stadium or by embracing unpredictable Welsh weather as a potential tactical weapon.<\/p>\n Jim Hamilton is part of the Premier Sports team bringing live Guinness Men’s Six Nations Rugby to rugby fans across the UK – broadcasting one live match per round throughout the 2026 Championship, as the home of elite rugby which includes EPCR rugby, Top 14, URC, MRL from the USA and Japan League One.<\/p>\n This Saturday join Jim Hamilton, Ryan Wilson, Tom Shanklin, Rory Lawson and Ryle Nugent pitch side at the Principality Stadium for Wales v Scotland on Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports Rugby from 4pm. To join in visit www.premiersports.com<\/a> from \u00a311.99 a month.<\/p>\n Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here<\/a> and our WhatsApp channel here<\/a> for all the breaking news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jim Hamilton believes Wales made a ‘crazy’ decision last week and hopes they learn from their mistakes Rugby…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[35895,5903,48695,43326,101,56,54,55,9015],"class_list":["post-434952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-principality-stadium","tag-rugby","tag-scotland-rugby-union-team","tag-six-nations","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wales-rugby-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}