After more than a year and 13 games as Wales head coach, Steve Tandy is getting used to making tough phone calls and facing criticism when his selections become public. Tandy named his 39-man squad for November's Nations Championship on Tuesday, prompting the usual tribal reactions. There was delight at the inclusions of uncapped trio Aneurin Owen, Che Hope and Rhys Barratt, and recalls for Rio Dyer, Seb Davies, Taine Basham and Gabriel Hamer-Webb. There was disappointment at the omissions of Taulupe Faletau, Macs Page, Elliot Dee, Bryn Bradley, Mason Grady and Tommy Reffell, with Tandy later revealing that Reffell had suffered a knee injury.
"There'll be people out there challenging me on selections," said the head coach, who has now named four squads. "No-one really says who they would leave out either, it's always the people that should be in! It's something that comes with the territory."
Tandy has used 54 players so far and is still casting his net wide, with just under a year until the World Cup gets under way. He will be limited to 33 players for the tournament in Australia, but has selected 39 for the Nations Championship. "I cop flak wherever I go, that's something I'm getting used to," said the former Ospreys flanker. "I've had some phone calls over the last few days that were tough, but I'd rather the boys know where they sit."
The selection of Seb Davies, who has 17 caps and has not featured since 2022, was more surprising. Tandy said he wanted to see the 30-year-old's athletic ability in the squad environment. Page, who has scored four tries in four appearances for Scarlets, misses out, with Dyer and Hamer-Webb coming in. Tandy praised Page's form but highlighted the depth in Wales' back line.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing