Tandy backs merit-based selection as Wales name record overseas contingent

Steve Tandy has defended a selection policy based on performance rather than club location after naming a record nine England-based players in Wales's starting side for the Nations Championship match against Japan. PA reported that the head coach said he would choose the strongest available players regardless of where they earned their living, while acknowledging the practical costs of their overseas commitments.

Watch the highlights:

The starting group includes Gloucester's Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Max Llewellyn, alongside Louis Rees-Zammit, Tomos Williams, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Dafydd Jenkins and Aaron Wainwright. Three further players from English clubs are among the replacements. The selection puts England-based professionals in a majority of the starting positions and accounts for 12 members of the matchday 23.

BBC Sport placed that shift in the context of the eligibility change introduced in February 2023. The threshold allowing overseas-based players to remain available for Wales was reduced from 60 international caps to 25. At the 2023 World Cup, only six members of Wales's entire 33-player squad were based in England, a markedly smaller contingent than in the current matchday group.

The arrangement has already affected training access. According to PA, the England-based players left Wales's Vale of Glamorgan camp midway through the previous week to prepare for club fixtures, then returned after the weekend. Tandy said those movements create logistical challenges, with less opportunity for national coaches to work with players than when they remain available within Wales.

Tandy also identified benefits in his comments reported by BBC Sport. Different coaching methods, styles of competition and regularly playing in full stadiums can broaden players' experience, he said. He pointed to Wainwright's move from Dragons to Leicester and the opportunity to work alongside England international Ollie Chessum as examples of a new environment offering additional challenges.

To maintain contact outside international windows, Tandy said he visits players and speaks with them by phone. He also holds regular discussions with their club coaches about progress and areas for improvement. His stated aim is to understand each player's development and support needs before they return to the national squad.