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Steve Tandy’s coaching team for the Six Nations has been confirmed ahead of his squad announcement
Wales have confirmed their coaching team for the upcoming Six Nations campaign, with former internationals Rhys Patchell, Dan Lydiate and Duncan Jones returning to assist head coach Steve Tandy once again.
The trio were appointed to Tandy’s backroom team on an interim basis for the autumn international campaign, all working with the national team for the first time. Patchell was appointed a skills coach, primarily focused on kicking, while Lydiate worked on defence and Jones looked after the scrum.
Ahead of his first Six Nations in charge of Wales, Tandy has stuck with the same group, with his assistants Matt Sherratt and Danny Wilson also looking after the attack and lineout and contact areas respectively.
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The appointments were confirmed shortly before the Wales boss announced his first Six Nations squad on Tuesday.
“It’s great that Duncan, Dan and Rhys will be joining up with us again for the Guinness Six Nations and my thanks to the Ospreys and Dragons for allowing them this opportunity a second time,” said Tandy.
“We’re all excited to get into camp next week and build on the foundations we established in the autumn.”
WRU director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin added: “Having Duncan, Dan and Rhys return to work alongside Steve, Danny and Matt allows us to maintain a good balance in the coaching team.
“That consistency and cohesion will help to continue to grow and develop the playing group.”
Patchell and Lydiate – who won 22 and 72 caps for Wales respectively during their playing careers – both hung up their boots at the end of last season and joined Filo Tiatia’s backroom staff at the Dragons ahead of the current campaign.
Former Wales prop Jones, meanwhile, has been involved in the Ospreys coaching set-up since 2018 and has spent the last five years as the region’s forwards coach.
The trio were hailed with making an immediate impact when they were first appointed in October, with Tandy pleased with the “really good dynamic” he had in his coaching group.
“For all the three coaches, it was awesome speaking to them,” the head coach told the Scrum V podcast. “Patchell, he’s been working with Rio [Dyer] on his left foot and how he sees the game. Again, that’s building in to how we want to play, how we see the game, to create those transitional moments.
“To see the excitement with Duncan was awesome as well. The passion, but also the care he has for players and how he would do anything to coach Wales.
“Then Lyds, I reckon he could still play, honest to God,” Tandy added.. “If he tells me to tackle, then I’m tackling!
“I think we’ve got a really good dynamic with the three coaches that have come in and I think [about] the learnings that they can have. But also they’ll see it through a different lens than me, Jockey [Sherratt] and Danny will.”
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