The ONE change Steve Tandy should make ahead of crucial clash against Italy

Tuesday, 10 March 2026 at 07:33

byHarry Tovey

Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that I was not expecting that Wales performance last Friday evening at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. But despite falling to their 15th consecutive defeat in the competition, a sense of optimism was infused into Welsh rugby again.

It left one circulating question among supporters that made the venture across the Irish Sea: Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Steve Tandy’s side? The tunnel itself has been a long, brutal, emotional, and turbulent one for Wales in recent memory.

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However, despite back-to-back defeats against Scotland and Ireland, the likelihood of claiming a third successive wooden spoon feels different for Wales. It might be the start of something.

With that said, they entertain an Italian side on Saturday afternoon at Principality Stadium who, in their most recent outings, put aside a fragmented England side narrowly 23-18. It was the Azzuri’s first-ever triumph against England, who, among many, were title contenders to claim the Six Nations title.

We all know how that went for Steve Borthwick’s side following their thumping victory against Wales to kick-off the championship. That result, for completely opposite reasons, now seems a distant memory for both Wales and England.

The difference is that Tandy’s side has not faced the best-ever Italian side, and despite not recording a result, arguably come into the contest against Gonzalo Quesada’s side in a better position.

Talking about positions, Wales head coach Tandy will select his starting XV later this week that will face Italy. There is one position that will be causing the 46-year-old headaches as the week goes on: who will wear the 10 jersey.

Now the simple answer is, if Sam Costelow, who had an impressive performance, in Wales’ agonising 26-23 defeat against Scotland, is fit, then it’s an easy decision for Tandy to make.

However, at the time of writing this piece, there has been no official update on whether the outside-half will be available for selection. He was still involved in sessions during last week’s lead-up to facing Ireland, but did not travel to the Irish capital as a travelling reserve.

I go back to that word of optimism. Is that a positive for Costelow and, more importantly, for Tandy? However, it does look unlikely, and with that said, it’s a toss of a coin between Dan Edwards and Jarrod Evans for who wears the shirt.

It’s not been the best of tournaments for Edwards, who has really struggled with form. He’s been a regular selection for Tandy, and following an edgy start against Ireland, he did grow into the encounter.

A defensive mistake from the 22-year-old was the catalyst for Jacob Stockdale to score the opening try of the evening. Does this warrant fly-half Evans with the opportunity to start for the first time since the summer of 2021?

But since then, his international career has been as an impact player off the bench, and he did not make an appearance in Dublin, as Tandy stuck with Edwards throughout.

Speaking at Wales’ training base last week in the Vale of Glamorgan, Matt Sherratt on Evans said:

“We feel sometimes with Jarrod when the game is broken up, he comes on and there’s real clarity in terms of how we need to finish a game. He finishes games brilliantly.

“Japan is the obvious one. I think back to the last Six Nations as well. He came on at the end of the Scotland game in particular, and he gets our attack flowing. He’s a very good impact.

“He can cover two positions, but I think all three 10s are in the mix to start, really. There’s a real tussle going on with the 10s at the moment. Dan was starting in the autumn, and the Six Nations.”

Edwards sat out of Wales’ finest performance under Tandy, and if it wasn’t for Costelow’s brutal ankle injury, it does make you wonder whether he would have been involved for the remaining fixtures.

He’s had a harsh lesson this championship, and the harshest of those tests may arrive on Saturday. If Edwards is selected, he needs to be firing on all cylinders, and this time around against Italy, Tandy needs to introduce Evans into the contest earlier in the second-half.

Sherratt did reveal that the young fly-half had responded well to losing his starting position before facing Ireland, but similar patterns in his performances against Ireland were evident in the matches against England and France as well.

Evans, for me, has to start against Italy. Sherratt talked about clarity in his side’s attack, and Wales will need that from the off and should get that in abundance with the Harlequins’ player starting.

Elsewhere, for Tandy, if there are no bumps and bruises from the enthralling Ireland contest, then that XV should remain the same. The likes of Alex Mann, Rhys Carré, Dafydd Jenkins, Dewi Lake, and Eddie James will all remain involved in the starting line-up, as will top performer Aaron Wainwright if fit.