Wales head coach Steve Tandy believes Taulupe Faletau is still a World Cup contender, despite the number eight missing out on the Nations Championship squad. Faletau played at the 2011, 2015 and 2023 World Cups but missed the 2019 edition after breaking his collarbone during the build-up. Tandy believes the veteran, who has played Tests on three Lions tours, will want to be in contention for next year's tournament in Australia.
"Toby is competitive. He loves playing for Cardiff and loves playing for Wales, so I can see the drive in him," Tandy said. "If he's out on the field, then he's not playing just to play for Cardiff; I think Toby has ambition to play for Wales."
Faletau, whose father Kuli played for Tonga at the 1999 World Cup, has the motivation but needs to prove his durability. He played a heavy schedule for club and country at the Dragons, but has featured only 31 times for Cardiff since joining from Bath in 2022. Tandy acknowledged that an older player cannot be asked to play 80 minutes every week.
"You need to have enough evidence that they are going to be robust enough for a World Cup campaign, when you only take a squad of 33," Tandy said. "You have to be robust to play back-to-back games, which I'm hopeful Toby can do." Faletau will aim to show he is ready if needed for the November Tests in Cardiff against Japan, New Zealand, Australia and another opponent on Nations Championship finals weekend. Cardiff host the Sharks at the Arms Park on Friday in the United Rugby Championship before finishing the first block of the season against the Ospreys.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing