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Ben Carter has established himself as a starter under Steve Tandy this year following some strong displays
19:08, 06 Jul 2026
The lineout tends to be one of those things, like streetlights or plumbing, that you only really notice when it’s not working.
When Wales last lifted the Six Nations in 2021, Wayne Pivac’s side boasted the best success rate in the tournament when it came to the lineout. However, the next two tournaments saw them wind up with the worst.
Since then, Wales have tended to fluctuate a little between good and not so good.
In part, that was perhaps down to the previous coaches’ ideals. At times under Jonathan Humphreys, there was a sense Wales were a little high-risk, high-reward with their approach.
‘Max drill’ was the phrase mentioned on occasions when speaking to those in the know. Basically, in darts terms, Wales were throwing for double top every time.
Rather than calling to space or creating separation, they were relying on execution of lift and throw being enough. That’s a little utopian, though.
When you had a lineout forward like Justin Tipuric in your midst, you could probably get away with that.
But, as became apparent under Pivac, Tipuric was also Wales’ best ball-playing forward for starter plays off the top. So that became the struggle there.
In recent years, Wales’ lineout success has functioned a little better.
Six Nations and autumns have been solid, with last year’s Six Nations getting up to 93.4 per cent of Wales’ own lineout ball won.
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The previous two summer tours have been rough, with the 2024 trip to Australia and last year’s two Tests in Japan producing lineout success of around 80 per cent on each occasion.
However, with Ben Carter – having taken over the calling midway through the Six Nations – starting this summer strongly, there’s a sense their July figures this time around should be stronger.
Having been perfect against the Barbarians last week, Wales lost their first lineout against Fiji to a clean steal – then didn’t lose another of the next 15.
Dragons second-row Carter has been, quite honestly, a revelation since being handed the starting jersey earlier this year.
There was a sense with the 25-year-old that there was a lot more to come, but up until February, he hadn’t really grabbed that chance with both hands.
Now though, he undeniably has.
There’s nothing flashy about the lock. He makes his tackles – second only to Jac Morgan on the weekend, while being one of the few to not miss a single tackle – and he carries hard.
But it’s his work at the lineout that has really elevated him to Test starter.
Obviously, there were a number of reasons why Wales beat Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday.
Game management, a powerful scrum and a solid scramble defence.
Perhaps the most vital was Wales’ driving maul – all stemming from Carter’s calling.
When it mattered most, like Wales’ first trip into the red-zone on Saturday, Carter called to himself – laying the platform for Jac Morgan’s first try.
He’d call to himself later in the half for Morgan’s second, as well as Ryan Elias’ score late in the second-half.
Under Tandy, Wales have claimed 91 per cent of lineouts in games that Carter was starting as lineout caller.
It drops down to 84 per cent without him in the starting side.
Back at Twickenham at the start of the Six Nations, Wales lost four lineouts officially on the day – but that didn’t tell the full story.
Another one resulted in a penalty for obstruction, while one more was only salvaged by England spilling their steal.
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Back then, it looked apparent that Wales could either be a ball-winning team, rather than a ball-playing team when it came to the lineout.
Having not really gone off the top all that much against Fiji – for good reason as they kept things tight with their driving lineout – it’s hard to say just yet Wales can be a ball-playing team on the evidence at hand.
The signs against the Barbarians suggest there’s potential there. But crucially, in both games, Wales look a lot more confident in their lineout than they previously have done so.
Sometimes, particularly when going against good defensive lineouts, Wales have tended to take the space given to them at the front – sacrificing quality ball for low-risk options.
Perhaps, given the confidence in options that Wales seem to have under Carter’s calling, the Welsh lineout could quickly become a platform for more than just a hat-trick of driving lineouts.
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