Wales Eye Peter Murchie for Defence Coach Position
Wales are considering former Glasgow defence coach Peter Murchie to join Steve Tandy's coaching staff following the 2026 Six Nations Championship.
Currently, Wales do not have a designated defence coach. Head coach Steve Tandy has expressed his intention to appoint someone for the role by the Nations Championship in July.
Murchie is expected to complete his commitments with Japan's Kobe Steelers for the season and could be available to join Wales for their four summer fixtures.
Tandy is familiar with Murchie from their time in Scottish rugby, where Murchie served as one of Gregor Townsend's assistants from 2020 until last summer.
At present, Tandy's permanent backroom staff includes only Matt Sherratt and Danny Wilson. To strengthen his team, he has enlisted Dan Lydiate, Rhys Patchell, Duncan Jones, and Paul James on secondment.
This arrangement has led Tandy to combine his head coach duties with the defence coaching role, receiving temporary assistance from former Wales flanker Dan Lydiate.
Tandy's previous work as Scotland's defence coach was highly regarded, earning him the same role with the British and Irish Lions. Consequently, expectations were high that he would enhance Wales' defensive performance upon taking charge last September.
However, in his first seven matches in charge—facing the world's top four teams in five of those Tests—Wales have conceded 328 points and 46 tries.
Recent Wales Performances
Wales suffered a late loss described as 'gut-wrenching' by Lake. Scotland managed a comeback to secure a Six Nations victory over Wales, with key moments defining the match's outcome.
Who is Peter Murchie?
Peter Murchie, a former full-back, earned three caps for Scotland and made 116 appearances for Glasgow Warriors. He was part of the Warriors' league-winning team in 2015 and retired in January 2018 at age 31 due to medical reasons.
Following his playing career, Murchie began coaching as a player-coach with French side Stade Nicois. He later returned to Scotland to coach Ayr, leading them to a league and cup double in the 2018-19 season. Subsequently, he was appointed head coach of Ayrshire Bulls for the inaugural Super6 campaign.
In March 2021, Murchie joined Glasgow Warriors, becoming the first individual to reach 100 matches for the club as both player and coach.
Under his guidance, Glasgow's defence became one of the strongest in the United Rugby Championship (URC). During the 2023-24 title-winning season, Glasgow conceded the fewest tries of any team in the competition.
Murchie was also involved with the Scotland A coaching team in November 2024 before departing Glasgow to join Kobe Steelers after the 2024-25 season concluded.
