Three new coaches have been added to Wales’ coaching team ahead of next month’s autumn Tests

Match preparation has also been targeted for overhaul. The coaching trio will have input in video analysis, opponent breakdowns, physical load management, and recovery protocols. Under this model, each will oversee not just training but also mentorship: working with clubs, elite academies, and coaching young forwards. The aim is to create not just strong players, but resilient ones; not just a team that can win games, but a system that sustains success.

Fan reaction has been mixed. Many welcome the return of familiar names; the sense of tradition and the idea of “Welsh forwards playing forward” resonates deeply. Others are more cautious, pointing out that selecting coaching staff from former players doesn’t guarantee success. Some fear that the weight of expectations — nostalgia, national identity — might hamper pragmatism.

Within the player group, early feedback appears positive. Several senior forwards have reportedly expressed relief at having coaches who truly understand the grind of international front-row battle. Younger players are said to be keen to absorb experience and technical knowledge from those who have done it themselves. There is optimism around how the reintroduction of strong set piece coaching could give Wales an edge in tight matches.

WRU leadership has been bullish. Chief Executive Abi Tierney is quoted as saying this overhaul is not just about reversing recent decline but setting Wales rugby up for the long term. She views the appointments as “investment in character and capability,” believing that to be competitive in 2027 and beyond, Wales must rebuild from the forwards out — repairing foundations rather than patching weaknesses.

The stakes are high. Wales must avoid a repeat of past tournaments where defensive lapses, unreliable scrummage, or an undermanned forward pack undermined attacking ambitions. The autumn internationals ahead will test whether the new coaching trio can begin to shift the momentum: improved defensive metrics, more stable scrums, fewer penalties conceded, a sharper breakdown battle will all be signals of progress.

If these early months go well, this could mark a turning point — a renewal of pride in Wales’s identity, a restoration of forward dominance, and re-entry into the top tier of international rugby. If not, the challenges will intensify: players, pundits and fans will demand results, not intentions, and the pressure on ex-legends in coaching roles is always unforgiving.

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Dan Lydiate will coach Wales(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)

Wales have announced former internationals Dan Lydiate, Rhys Patchell and Duncan Jones will join Steve Tandy’s coaching group for the upcoming autumn campaign on an interim basis.

All three are currently involved in coaching roles at the regions, with Lydiate and Patchell working at the Dragons and Jones coaching with the Ospreys. The three will all work with Wales’ national team for the first time as Tandy takes charge of his first campaign in the head coach role.

Lydiate will work with Tandy on defence, with Jones looking after the scrum and Patchell working as a skills coach primarily focused on kicking.

“I’m delig

hted that Duncan, Dan and Rhys will be joining us for the Quilter Nations Series and I’d like to thank the Ospreys and Dragons for allowing them to take up this opportunity with Wales,” said Tandy.During his playing days, Lydiate won 72 caps for Wales – with the blindside flanker playing three Tests for the British and Irish Lions in 2013.

The mid Walian was also named player of the tournament in the 2012 Six Nations.

Having hung up his boots at the end of last season, the 37-year-old has moved into working as the Dragons’ breakdown coach – having started that role on a player-coach basis last year.

Former Cardiff and Scarlets fly-half Patchell announced his retirement back in September after spells in New Zealand and Japan, with the 32-year-old now working with the Dragons as a part-time kicking coach.

Patchell, who won 22 caps for Wales and played in the 2019 World Cup,

Of the three, former Wales loosehead Jones has been coaching the longest.

Wales Rugby Union has stunned the rugby world with a sweeping overhaul of its coaching structure, naming three iconic former players to spearhead a bold new era. In a move that signals both urgency and ambition, the WRU has announced that ex-internationals Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, and T. Rhys Thomas will take up leading roles in what insiders describe as a “transformational reboot” of the national men’s team.

The decision comes after a period of sustained underperformance for Wales. The national side has slipped down the world rankings, suffered heavy losses, and drawn increasing criticism from fans and pundits. With the 2027 Rugby World Cup looming, the WRU has decided the time is right for radical change rather than incremental tweaks.

Gethin Jenkins, one of the most capped Welsh forwards in history, will return as defence coach. Jenkins, renowned in his playing days for his scrummaging strength, physicality and leadership, is expected to bring those qualities into his coaching remit. His appointment is seen as a signal that Wales wants to rebuild its forward pack discipline and defensive cohesion — areas that have been repeatedly exposed in recent Test matches.

Adam “Bomb” Jones joins the trio as scrum and contact specialist, his focus to sharpen set-piece work and make Wales more formidable in collisions and breakdown confrontations. Jones’s experience — three Grand Slams, nearly a hundred caps, time in the Premiership and international level — gives him credibility with players and authority over forwards and scrum development. His role is crucial: without solid scrummaging and forward dominance, Wales have often found themselves on the back foot.

T. Rhys Thomas brings invaluable insight on skills and forward conditioning. Having himself been a hooker for Wales, Dragons and Wasps, and with coaching experience in the Premiership, Thomas will work to bridge the gap between raw forward talent and elite execution. His remit includes technical work, ensuring that Wales’s forwards aren’t merely physical, but clean in their technique, efficient in the contact area, and resilient over 80 minutes.

The trio will operate under newly appointed head coach Steve Tandy, who took over in mid-2025 with a mandate to rebuild. Tandy’s task is immense: to stabilise morale, restore confidence, and implement systems of play that can compete with the world’s best. He has made no secret of his desire to couple Wales’s proud rugby traditions — forward strength, flair, heart — with modern defensive structures, precision, and tactical adaptability.

Critics have noted that bringing in three ex-players of this calibre is a risky move. Some warn of potential clashes in philosophy: the ex-forwards might emphasise brute strength too heavily at the expense of fluid backs play or attacking flair. There are questions about whether their coaching experience is sufficient at the highest international level, particularly in pressure matches. And there are concerns about whether this “old guard” approach might limit innovation or risk becoming insular.

Supporters counter that this is exactly what Wales needs: credibility, identity, and connection. Players respect people who have been there — seen the bruises, made the scrums, lived through tight losses. They argue that Jenkins, Jones and Thomas have lived the highs and lows of Welsh rugby: Grand Slams, championships, defeats, rebuilds. Their presence signals to young Welsh forwards that you can rise through adversity, that you can still represent your country, even during difficult chapters.

The WRU has framed the appointments as part of a broader strategic plan. Key aims include improving set pieces (scrum, lineout), reducing soft points conceded in defence, increasing physicality and endurance in the forward pack, and embedding a culture of accountability. There is also emphasis on integrating the professional club regions more closely with the national setup: forward conditioning, contact work, fitness regimes and performance tracking will be shared across club and country.

All told, this is a bold gamble by the WRU. The appointment of Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones and T. Rhys Thomas as a coaching trio conjures images of Welsh rugby’s glory days. Whether it becomes a foundation for future success or another chapter in frustrated hopes remains to be seen. But for now, Wales has made its move — and the rugby world is watching.

The ex-Ospreys prop started working as the club’s scrum coach in 2018, being promoted to first-team coach under Toby Booth in 2020 – with the 47-year-old, who won 57 caps for Wales between 2001 and 2009, still holding that role now.

“Bringing Duncan, Dan and Rhys in for the autumn to work alongside Steve, Danny and Matt gives us a good balance in the coaching team,” said WRU director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin.

“We said at the outset that we might have some interim appointments and this is the right option for us at this point.”

New Wales head coach Tandy names his squad on Tuesday, 21 October with the opening game against Argentina on Sunday, 9 November.

Wales also take on Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in Cardiff this November.