Steve Tandy Makes Changes to Wales Squad for Six Nations Clash with Scotland

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has made four changes to his starting lineup for the upcoming Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday, February 21st, at the Principality Stadium. The reshuffle comes after Wales suffered a heavy 54-12 defeat to France in their previous outing, marking their 13th consecutive Six Nations loss.

Team Changes and Debut

The most notable change is the inclusion of Gabriel Hamer-Webb, who will make his international debut on the wing, replacing Ellis Mee. Sam Costelow steps in at fly-half, taking the place of Dan Edwards. In the pack, Ben Carter is preferred to Adam Beard at lock, and Taine Plumtree replaces Olly Cracknell in the back row.

Revised Wales Lineup

The updated team sees a back three of Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams, and Hamer-Webb, with Eddie James and Joe Hawkins forming the center partnership. Thomas Williams continues as scrum-half alongside Costelow.

The front row remains unchanged with Rhys Carré, Dewi Lake (captain), and Tomas Francis. Dafydd Jenkins and Ben Carter will pack down in the second row, while Plumtree joins Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright in the back row.

Bench Adjustments

Tandy has opted for a 5-3 split on the bench, with Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, and Archie Griffin as front-row replacements. Freddie Thomas and James Botham provide forward cover, and Kieran Hardy and Jarrod Evans are the substitute half-backs. Blair Murray is in line for his first appearance in this year’s championship.

Tandy’s Perspective

“It’s our third game of the championship,” said Tandy. “We want to build on our performance. We want to see more consistent moments and back-to-back moments, which we perceive if we secure we’ll be closer to getting the outcome we want from games.”

Match Details

Wales v Scotland kicks off at 4:40 PM GMT on Saturday, February 21st. The match will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media Play in Ireland.

Wales Team vs. Scotland

• 15. Louis Rees-Zammit
• 14. Gabriel Hamer-Webb
• 13. Eddie James
• 12. Joe Hawkins
• 11. Josh Adams
• 10. Sam Costelow
• 9. Thomas Williams
• 1. Rhys Carré
• 2. Dewi Lake (captain)
• 3. Tomas Francis
• 4. Dafydd Jenkins
• 5. Ben Carter
• 6. Taine Plumtree
• 7. Alex Mann
• 8. Aaron Wainwright

Replacements:

• 16. Ryan Elias
• 17. Nicky Smith
• 18. Archie Griffin
• 19. Freddie Thomas
• 20. James Botham
• 21. Kieran Hardy
• 22. Jarrod Evans
• 23. Blair Murray