mens
nations-championship
Wales back rower Aaron Wainwright believes he will join Leicester it gave him a louder voice on and off the field.
Wainwright will be the key player Wales are trying to find Nations Championship momentum less than a year away from the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
The 29-year-old joined the Tigers this summer after a nine-year stint with his native Welsh region Dragons, and says he is already reaping the benefits of playing in England.
“I found it was a step up, the physicality and intensity of the game, but I enjoyed it,” said Wainwright, who helped Leicester to top spot in the opening weeks of the Gallagher Prem season.
“It’s a new challenge at Leicester, the standards are very high and the players are very much led.
“They have a lot of good leaders and experience there, and that brought more voice out of me.
“So I potentially contribute more off the field in that sense. The way the players manage things and the day-to-day things, it’s exciting to see that in a new environment.”
“For the first few days, I didn’t immediately know my role and someone stuck in me.
“I thought ‘I’ve got to make sure I’m really on it here’ – that’s the level they’re at.”
Wales hosts Japan in Cardiff on Saturday when the Nations Championship resumes after a four-month break.
This is a must-win game for Wales if they hope to climb from fifth in the Northern Hemisphere table, with tougher challenges against New Zealand and Australia come in the next two weeks.
Wales need to improve their record under Steve Tandy, having won just three of their 12 matches in the head coach’s first year in charge.
But there were signs of progress in 2026, especially in the narrow Six Nations defeat to Scotland and Ireland as well as wins Italy and Fiji.
“We’ve had a couple of campaigns together now and I don’t think we’ve been as good as we should have been in the last two games of the summer,” said Wainwright, who will return to his favored number eight position after playing in the sixth game for Leicester.
“We’ve talked a lot about being on this journey and being able to put it into action.
“Give the fans something they can see on the pitch that reflects the words we’re saying. That’s what we have to deliver on Saturday.”
