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Steve Tandy has made a significant move ahead of his debut as Wales head coach by swapping around the home and away changing rooms at Principality Stadium.
After being appointed to the role in the summer, Tandy is preparing to take charge of his first match in charge of his home nation against Argentina in Cardiff on Sunday.
Daily Mail Sport understands that Wales have decided to move dressing rooms not only for the match or for this autumn alone, but for the foreseeable future.
It all forms part of Tandy’s desire to bring a new feel to the Wales set-up both on and off the field. He has made several other changes to that effect.
In addition to the changing room switch, Tandy has also changed Wales’ training times and the make-up of sessions, when they join up ahead of a Test and made alterations to the team room, opening it up to be a more relaxed environment.
He hopes they will help improve his team’s fortunes.
Writing in his Daily Mail Sport column in association with Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac, former Wales No 10 Dan Biggar praised Tandy for bringing a fresh dynamic.
‘One thing he’s done which I think is very clever is change the training schedule. It had been the same for so long with Wales, first with Warren Gatland, then Wayne Pivac and then Gatland again,’ said Biggar, who was coached by Tandy at Welsh club Ospreys.
Wales first moved to the Principality Stadium in June 1999
Steve Tandy takes charge of his first game in charge of Wales on Sunday against Argentina
‘He's also made the Vale Hotel a place for relaxing, ensuring all rugby and team meetings are held at the National Centre of Excellence. In my time, we’d switch between the two.
‘Freshening up things like that might seem minor details to many. But in professional sport, they are vital. By making changes, Steve has in effect said: “This is a new start for Wales” and that’s exactly what the team needs.’
Wales will use their new changing room for the first time against Argentina.
They were in the old facilities last week for their open training session in Cardiff.
For more than 15 years, when arriving at Principality Stadium, Wales have turned left at the top of the venue’s stairs at the mouth of the tunnel and prepared for matches in the ‘south’ changing room.
But against Argentina and moving forwards, they will instead turn right and use the one in the ‘north.’ It won’t be the first time the venue’s changing rooms have been switched. Indeed, Tandy’s decision actually reverts the iconic stadium’s facilities back to how they were when it was built and then opened as the then Millennium Stadium in 1999.
Soon after becoming Wales coach for the first time at the start of 2008, it was Gatland who first switched the changing rooms. Initially, the New Zealander did not like the ‘north’ option as he felt he couldn’t address his players all together pre-match. So often a fortress where opposition rugby sides have struggled given its imposing status and fervent atmosphere, Wales have a poor recent record at Principality Stadium.
Their last home win in a competitive Test came against Argentina on November 12, 2022. Under the guidance of former coach Gatland, they did win a World Cup warm-up game against England in Cardiff on August 5, 2023. But that was not a competitive match.
Wales – who have not been helped by off-field drama in their national game – only ended a run of 18 straight losses in Japan this summer in their last match before Tandy took charge.
Tandy and Wales will hope a changing room switch will bring some fresh luck.
In the early 2000’s, the Principality Stadium, then known as the Millennium Stadium, became notorious for an apparent ‘away team hoodoo.’
Tandy has urged his players to treat the start of his reign as a fresh start after a dreadful run of result in recent times
Wales ended a run of 18 consecutive Test defeats with victory over Japan in the summer
Of the first 11 FA Cup and other major English football finals that were played at the Welsh venue while Wembley was being redeveloped, all were won by those changing in the ‘north’ changing room. That run came to an end in May 2002 when Stoke – who prepared in the ‘south’ – beat Brentford 2-0 in the play-off of the old Division Two. Ahead of that game, Welsh officials had hired feng shui expert Paul Darby to try to correct ‘negative energy’ inside the ‘south’ room.
Welsh artist Andrew Vicari was promptly told to paint a seven-foot high mural on the wall which featured a phoenix, galloping horse and a glowing sun.
All three symbols are commonly used in feng shui to block ‘negative energy.’
Those two words would be an apt description of Welsh rugby in the past two years, with poor on-field results in both the men’s and women’s game marrying up unfortunately with several off-pitch issues.
The Welsh Rugby Union is in the midst of a proposal to cut the number of its men’s club sides from four to three, something which has been a big distraction to Tandy ahead of his debut campaign as national boss.
