Ten matches, ten defeats. Wales’ men’s and women’s sides endured a torrid 2025 Six Nations campaign, a brutal 86-day stretch that underscored the scale of the challenge facing the country’s rugby leadership.
From the men’s crushing 43-0 humiliation by France in Paris back in January to the women’s heavy 44-12 loss to Italy in Parma just days ago, Welsh rugby has been plunged into one of the darkest periods in its modern history.
If newly-appointed performance director Dave Reddin needed a stark reminder of the task ahead, the scenes in Parma would have left no doubt. Wales women capitulated alarmingly in the second half against Italy, rounding off a tournament that laid bare the deep-rooted issues Reddin must now confront.
Sean Lynn’s side made unwanted history by becoming the first Wales women’s team to lose all five matches in a Six Nations campaign. The men, meanwhile, collected the wooden spoon for a second successive year, finishing bottom once again after another winless tournament.
Over the past 16 months, Welsh rugby’s record is grim reading: just one victory in 20 Six Nations matches — when the women edged out Italy at the Principality Stadium in April 2024, a win celebrated as if it were a World Cup final.
Speaking last week at his inaugural press conference, Reddin described Welsh rugby as being at a “low ebb.” It was, if anything, an understatement. Now, the man who once steered performance programmes for the FA and Team GB must orchestrate a revival across both senior national sides, with at least 11 more Tests scheduled for the remainder of 2025.
The WRU, desperate for change after a dismal few years, has handed him the unenviable task of engineering a turnaround.
A new low for Wales’ men
Although Reddin officially takes up his role full-time on 1 September, his influence will be felt immediately as he leads the search for a new men’s head coach, following Warren Gatland’s resignation in February after defeat to Italy.
Matt Sherratt, head coach at Cardiff, stepped in as caretaker, overseeing a further three defeats. Should a permanent appointment not be made swiftly, Sherratt could remain in charge for the summer tour to Japan.
Whoever takes the reins faces a mountainous rebuilding job. Wales’ men are now unwanted history-makers, having lost 17 consecutive Tests — a record for a tier-one nation in the professional era, equalling Scotland’s losing run from 1951-1955.
Their last Test victory came against Georgia at the World Cup in Nantes in October 2023. Since then, the low points have piled up, including the record 68-14 loss to England at the Principality Stadium in March.
This sequence has seen Wales drop to 12th in the world rankings — beneath Georgia — and just one place above Japan, their opponents this summer.
Their upcoming fixtures offer little respite, with daunting autumn Tests against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa scheduled for Cardiff.
Wales men’s 2025 Six Nations results
- 31 January: France 43-0 Wales, Paris
- 8 February: Italy 22-15 Wales, Rome
- 22 February: Wales 18-27 Ireland, Cardiff
- 8 March: Scotland 35-29 Wales, Edinburgh
- 15 March: Wales 14-68 England, Cardiff
Remaining 2025 fixtures
- 5 July: Japan v Wales, Kitakyushu (TBC)
- 12 July: Japan v Wales, Kobe (TBC)
- 9 November: Wales v Argentina, Cardiff
- 15 November: Wales v Japan, Cardiff
- 22 November: Wales v New Zealand, Cardiff
- 29 November: Wales v South Africa, Cardiff
Women’s side mirrors the men’s misery
Despite last year’s struggles, there was a flicker of optimism as the 2025 Women’s Six Nations began. Sean Lynn, appointed on the back of a successful spell with Gloucester-Hartpury, had promised a fresh start built on a “family” culture.
However, even Lynn’s proven pedigree could not halt the slide. A narrow opening loss to Scotland offered early encouragement, but Wales were subsequently outclassed in heavy defeats to England, France, Ireland, and Italy.
Perhaps most alarming was the manner of defeat against Ireland and Italy — teams Wales had comfortably beaten only two years earlier. Lynn, candid in his post-tournament assessments, admitted some players lacked the skill set required at international level and hinted at sweeping changes.
With a two-Test tour of Australia looming in July and a World Cup campaign in England in August and September, time is short. Wales have been drawn alongside Scotland, Canada, and Fiji and will target a quarter-final berth, though recent performances suggest that ambition may be a stretch.
Realistically, meaningful progress under Lynn might not be visible until the 2029 World Cup cycle.
Wales women’s 2025 Six Nations results
- 22 March: Scotland 24-21 Wales, Edinburgh
- 29 March: Wales 12-67 England, Cardiff
- 12 April: France 42-12 Wales, Brive
- 20 April: Wales 14-40 Ireland, Newport
- 27 April: Italy 44-12 Wales, Parma
Remaining 2025 fixtures
- 26 July: Australia v Wales, SE Queensland (TBC)
- 1 August: Australia v Wales, Sydney (TBC)
- 23 August: Wales v Scotland, Salford
- 30 August: Wales v Canada, Salford
- 6 September: Wales v Fiji, Exeter
