Despite falling to a sixth defeat in seven under Steve Tandy, Wales were much improved in their 23-26 defeat to Scotland on Saturday.

Yes, leading 17-5 at halftime, only to lose, is a disappointing outcome, but after being comprehensively outplayed by England and France in the opening two rounds, Wales and Tandy look to be improving.

Here are five reasons to be hopeful going into the fallow week:

Have Wales (accidentally) found their best back row?

One clear area of experimentation under Tandy’s Wales reign has been the back row. With injuries to stalwarts Jac Morgan and Taulupe Faletau, much of the burden has been shouldered by Aaron Wainwright, who is having yet another excellent campaign.

The Dragons number eight made a remarkable 18 tackles and 21 carries, with his three defenders beaten also the second most of anyone on the pitch.

Despite Tandy selecting Taine Plumtree at blindside flanker for his first Six Nations start, an unfortunate injury – now confirmed as a ruptured ACL – meant that James Botham came on earlier than expected.

A tireless worker, Botham made 15 tackle of his own, as well as a couple of key turnover penalties. He also looks like a good foil for the more dynamic Alex Mann, who unsurprisingly had his best game in a Wales shirt under Tandy.

It may have come at the cost of another injury in the back row, but the balance for Wales was there, and with Morgan potentially returning before the end of the tournament, Tandy’s fortunes are looking up.

Dafydd Jenkins is back to his very best

Jenkins’ work rate was not quite at the same level as Wainwright, but his 12 carries and 22 tackles – at a 100% completion rate – were totemic for Wales, who had to weather Scottish storms throughout the second half.

With Adam Beard dropped after his costly error against France last week, their were some understandable concerns about the Welsh set piece. In hindsight, there needn’t have been any worry.

Wales were 100% on their own ball at the lineout, as well as stealing Scotland’s ball three times.

Jenkins’ game-high 22 tackles were matched by his second row partner, Ben Carter, who was a key physical presence in the pack.

Wales’ props give them a foundation

Tandy has largely resisted experimentation in the front row so far this tournament, with the same four props – Rhys Carre, Tomas Francis, Nicky Smith, and Archie Griffin – selected in some order in all three games so far.

And it’s for good reason, with Carre and Griffin, Wales’ best two props in the loose. paired with their best two scrummagers: Smith and Francis.

Carre is in excellent form, scoring two tries in his last two outings, with his offload in contact ahead of Josh Adams’ score a particular highlight from the big man.

Twice in two games, Wales’ scrum has been a solid foundation for the side, with Danny Wilson’s coaching looking to take hold on the pack.

Scarlets combinations look slick

After the disaster of the first two weeks, perhaps the harshest decision made by Tandy was to drop Dan Edwards in favour of Sam Costelow. This meant that the 10-12-13 axis were all Scarlets regulars, with Costelow partnering Joe Hawkins and Eddie James in the midfield.

With Costelow pulling the strings before his cruel injury on 55 minutes, it allowed James to put in his best performance in a Wales shirt, carrying for 32 metres and beating defenders with his strength.

He also allowed Wales to play with the tempo that has been missing from their game in recent weeks, especially off set piece, which has been an area where Tandy’s side have looked a step behind the rest of the Six Nations.

Unfortunately, Costelow’s injury means we will probably have to wait until the summer to see this partnership in action again.

Fans back onside after fast start

The Principality Stadium crowd of 57,744 against France, the lowest in Cardiff in the Six Nations era drew scrutiny. Six days later, the Cardiff cauldron was completely different as 70,000 witnessed a scintillating spectacle on and off the field.

Some of that was down to Wales’ fast start, with the home fans starved of any success or expectation during the past couple of years.

After all, Wales have now suffered 11 successive Six Nations defeats in Cardiff with the most recent success against Scotland four years ago in February 2022. But Wales, led by the inspirational Dewi Lake, got the Principality Stadium rocking.

“The support was incredible,” said Tandy.

“There’s lots of questions asked about the crowds, but they were unbelievable. Everyone felt it. The players gave them something to cheer about, but ultimately they got behind the team. It’s a snapshot of what we want to be.”

The challenge, for everybody involved in Welsh rugby, will be to replicate this environment in the final game of the tournament against Italy on 14 March.

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