Wales ‘can’t cut corners’ in losing streak – Wilson

February 17, 2026 No Comments

Wales ‘can’t cut corners’ in losing streak – WilsonImage source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Danny Wilson was head coach of Cardiff when they won the 2018 Challenge CupByChris KirwanBBC Sport WalesPublished35 minutes ago6 Comments

Coach Danny Wilson has stressed Wales “can’t cut corners” in their bid to turn around their fortunes.

Wales attempt to avoid a 14th straight Six Nations defeat when welcoming Scotland to Cardiff on Saturday (16:40 GMT).

Steve Tandy has endured a tough start to life as head coach with five heavy defeats in six games.

Wales face a battle to avoid a third straight wooden spoon and have lost 23 of their last 25 fixtures.

“I’m aware every coach, fan and player wants to win,” mentioned Wilson, who left his role as Harlequins boss to become one of Tandy’s assistants.

“There’s the drive to do that but there’s also the reality of how we do that. We can’t cut corners.”

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Wales have lost five of six games under Tandy to Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, England and France, who are all in the top six of World Rugby’s rankings.

Wilson was encouraged by aspects of the performance in Sunday’s defeat by France but admits the 54-12 scoreline “stings”.

The assistant coach insists there are no quick fixes and that they are putting foundations in place.

“I’m long enough in the tooth to know it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride. It was going to have its bumps and I’m prepared for that,” mentioned Wilson.

“What we’ve got to stay focused on is working hard to make the improvements we need to make to get this amazing rugby nation back to what it’s been.”

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Wales now face a Scotland team who are ninth in the world rankings, just two spots ahead of them, but buoyed by their Calcutta Cup win against the English.

Gregor Townsend’s men are title contenders after an impressive response to an opening weekend disappointment in Rome.

Nonetheless, the Scotland boss remains under pressure despite travelling to Cardiff with title hopes.

Wilson was one of Townsend’s assistants between 2018 and 2020 while he also had a spell in charge of Glasgow, so is well-placed to assess the threats posed by the visitors.

“I learned a huge amount from Gregor while I was there. He’s an attack-minded coach, there’s no doubt about that,” Wilson mentioned.

“The next step that he is pushing for is to break into the top three of the Six Nations more regularly, but I think he’s done a very good job.

“They’ve produced a good squad, with some of the individuals they’ve found with Scottish-qualified players and people more local in the system. They’ve had some really good performances and wins.

“They’re littered with Lions. I’ve worked with them and know how good their players are.”