Tandy could not watch Wales’ winning kick

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v New Zealand

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Date: Saturday, 22 November
Kick-off: 15:10 GMT
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and live text on BBC Sport online.

Steve Tandy admitted he could not watch Jarrod Evans’ last-gasp penalty that snatched a 24-23 win for Wales against Japan. The head coach enjoyed the first success of his reign in dramatic fashion in Cardiff, thanks to the Harlequins fly-half staying cool with the clock in the red.

Evans slotted a penalty to the delight of the Principality Stadium crowd, whose roars let Tandy know that a 10-Test losing streak on home soil had been ended.

“I was hiding away in the side,” said the head coach. “I could see the crowd and I could see him going to take the kick, but not the posts. You could hear the eruption of the crowd. Fair play to Jarrod and the group that was some kick under pressure.”

Late Evans Penalty Gives Wales Win Against Japan

While there was delight in the Wales coaching box—with Tandy embracing Welsh Rugby Union head of performance Dave Reddin before returning to his management team—there was anguish in Japan’s camp.

“It was terrible, I wanted to kill somebody,” said head coach Eddie Jones. “That is what I felt like, anybody I could find! When you lose the game in the last minute at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff it’s tough. The atmosphere is electric, the ground lights up and you have to handle that pressure. In the last five minutes we did not do that well. We had a lead and should have been able to keep that for the rest of the game.”

Japan would have moved above 12th-placed Wales in the world rankings with victory, ahead of December’s World Cup draw.

Practice Pays Off for Evans

Evans was memorably the hero at the death when Cardiff beat Leinster at the Arms Park in 2022, and he also conquered the Galway wind for a success at Connacht in 2017. The 29-year-old from Pontypridd now has a Test moment to add to his highlights reel.

“I’ve experienced it for my club, but it’s the first time that I have done it for my country,” said Evans. “I was pretty relieved that it went over, but that’s why you put all those hours and hard work in.”

The replacement fly-half was only called onto the pitch in the 79th minute with Wales pinned in their own half and needing something special.

“The longer the time goes on the more you think that you might not get on, but you have to be ready to impact the game,” said Evans, who came on for Dan Edwards. “I am just the guy that is fortunate to get that moment at the end, but I was more proud with how we worked our way up the field. We retained the ball and didn’t cough it up, which we probably did for large parts of the game to give Japan a leg up.”

A penalty just out of range meant that Evans kicked to the 22, and the pack almost ensured his right foot was not needed.

“The forwards were unbelievable with the maul and rolled us all the way—we were unlucky not to come away with the try. We did think about a quick tap, but then I took the decision out of the boys’ hands.”

Looking Ahead: Wales Prepare for New Zealand

Wales now prepare for New Zealand next Saturday, 22 November, knowing that their performance level needs to rise dramatically.

“We’ll be tough on ourselves,” said Tandy. “There’s never a lack of effort whenever I’ve watched this group and you can build on that. Getting these tight wins is obviously pleasing, but we have to keep growing.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/tandy-couldnt-watch-wales-winning-220344600.html

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