LONG READ Tandy mines the depth chart as Wales look to unearth World Cup gems

“Most things that I worry about never happen anyway,” sang Tom Petty. A nice line for those who tend to fret over life’s minor details, perhaps.

But Tomas Francis’s absence from Steve Tandy’s Wales squad for the summer games? Might a dot of anxiety be merited there? Plenty will think so, especially with South Africa among those to be faced in the coming months. That would be the same South Africa who, lest anyone forgets, declared at 73-0 (if we can borrow from cricket’s lexicon) the last time Wales met them, less than six months ago. If there is a golden rule for taking on the Springboks, it is to make sure all is well in the front row, with all hints of vulnerability unceremoniously rooted out.

Still, in holding the 34-year-old Francis back from a programme that sees Wales warm up against the Barbarians before playing Nations Championship matches against Fiji, Argentina and Rassie Eramus’s men in myrtle green, Tandy evidently has an eye to the next World Cup.

A scrum buckling in Durban this July would hurt, but not half as much as one being crumpled repeatedly by England in Sydney in October next year.

Upbeat sorts will argue, anyway, that the focus should be on those who are in the 48-man set-up rather than those who will have their feet up this summer. And maybe they are right. Tandy and his fellow selectors have come up with a squad that plenty see as exciting, with six uncapped players making the cut, including Kane James, the Haverfordwest-born youngster who played a leading role for England in their U20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2024, sparking fears on the Welsh side of the Severn that he might opt for the Red Rose at senior level ahead of the land of his birth. But such concerns, as the aforementioned Mr Petty might have noted, have proven groundless.

Tandy is depth building, trying hard to add to Wales’ options ahead of the global bash in Australia. Another reason his squad is king-sized is because 15 players who are based outside Wales will be unavailable for the Barbarians game, which falls outside World Rugby’s international window. The coach has confirmed he will trim the group after the match with the invitation side, but all chosen should at least be able to say they had a chance to show the selectors what they could do.

Familiar faces are back, too, most notably Jac Morgan, who missed the Six Nations through injury, while Tommy Reffell, who hasn’t lost a game of rugby in 2026 – seven outings for Leicester Tigers, seven wins – also returns. And deservedly so.

But maybe we should start with the new faces in Tandy’s line-up. Some of them may be around for some time.

Special K?

“Every time I hear him talk on TV I wonder why the hell he isn’t playing for Wales.” So said a delivery driver to this writer a couple of weeks ago about Cardiff-born and Welsh-accented Manny Feyi-Waboso, whom Wales infamously failed to prevent from slipping into English hands. No doubt the same chap feels similarly about Kepu Tuipulotu, Pontypool-born but who has also committed to the Red Rose.

Anyway, there may be a change of tack the next time the man with the parcels calls, for Wales have done themselves a significant favour by putting James under lock and key instead of seeing the 21-year-old opt for the folks over the wall, for whom he is also qualified and stood out at age-grade level.

How much potential does the Exeter Chiefs back-rower have? Over to Tandy: “He’s got pace, he’s explosive, he’s really smart with how he sees stuff and off the field with his study. He’s in a big team in England, makes massive impacts when he comes off the bench as well. So yeah, just super excited with his all-round ability to be honest.”

There’s also the plus that James is a three-in-one player, able to play at six, seven or eight. He has good hands and quick feet that take him past defenders but he is also strong enough to opt for a direct route if the situation demands. Nor does he play in spurts; he has what coaches style a serious engine, one that allows him to maintain his carrying game when others might tire.

Quite a catch for Wales, then.

Coming back from injury, he may need time to engage a high gear. But he is a young player who looks to have what it takes to make a significant mark in the elite game.

England’s loss could well prove to be Wales’ gain.

A shot of midfield firepower

The new Jamie Roberts? A similar player to Andre Esterhuizen?

Such are the plaudits to have come the way of Bryn Bradley.

No pressure there, then.

But at 6ft 4in in his stockinged feet and a few cow-pies shy of 17st, he is a unit. When he faced La Rochelle in the Champions Cup earlier this year he made observers sit up and take notice with a series of jolting hits and powerful carries. In Harlequins’ best display of the campaign, to some eyes he was their top-performing player.

Establishing himself in a Test environment will be a different challenge again, but Wales have seen enough to feel that Bradley can make the step up. Attack chief Matt Sherratt tends to favour playmaking inside centres, but there’s more than one way to get the job done and Bradley offers something different.

Of course, all the youngsters come with a warning on the side of the packet: patience may be required.

But Bradley looks to have the raw materials to go far.

The unlucky brigade

Selection is not an exact science – ask Keir Starmer as he mulls over his unfortunate choice of Peter Mandelson for a challenging gig across the pond. (On the other hand, maybe the PM has enough to worry about right now without being bothered again.)

Sometimes things go well, other times not so well.

Ultimately, it’s on the head of the chap doing the picking.

Largely, Tandy’s squad seems to have been well-received. In particular, his willingness to give youth a fling, or at least have a close look at a few of the next generation, has been applauded by many.

But what of those who have missed out?

Macs Page, anyone? How good was he for the Scarlets against the Ospreys? “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,” Maya Angelou famously said. It is early days for Page, but he looks a player who is going to take a lot of breath away over the coming years. Not only does he have a step but he has pace to go with it and a fair bit of power packed into a small frame. If he keeps improving, it would be a surprise if a Wales call didn’t come.

But not this time.

Like Page, Morgan Morris and Angus O’Brien will just have to keep knocking. Both have been playing well – Morris for several seasons without the selectors showing interest. He is someone who always shows up, but maybe his lack of size continues to count against him in the Test selection stakes. In drafting in Harrison Keddie, Tandy has gone for a bigger player who might fit the perceived physical dimensions for an international No 8. But those who work with Morris week-in, week-out at the Ospreys are in no doubt about his worth.

O’Brien, too, is unlucky, blessed as he is with playmaking skills as well as a boot that can propel the ball further than some people go on holidays.

Another for whom fortune has turned away is Owen Watkin, whose experience and ability as a defensive organiser haven’t been enough to swing him a place. The selectors watched him seal up the Ospreys’ midfield against the Scarlets with 11 tackles and two turnovers, while he also directed operations expertly. But it seems those doing the picking want more.

Josh Macleod? A strong case could have been made for his inclusion. Rio Dyer, James Ratti, Rhys Davies? Many would have said yes, yes, yes, but from the selectors it’s ‘no, no, no’ or thereabouts.

All concerned still have time to stake bids for World Cup places.

But today that won’t seem like much consolation.

The tighthead challenge

Wales appear to be playing the long game here, with Francis rested. Oh, and Archie Griffin, their No. 2 tighthead, who has been learning in the best classroom of all for a No. 3, behind Thomas du Toit at Bath, is undergoing elective surgery at the end of the season, so is also off limits.

Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring?

Well, some will be a shade apprehensive.

Tandy has named four tight-heads in Keiron Assiratti, Dillon Lewis, Sam Wainwright and Ben Warren. Can the coach find a dominant Test-class scrummager among the quartet? He will hope so, but nothing is certain.

Warren has improved for the Ospreys, but he has been largely used behind Tom Botha, while Wainwright has been shy of game-time at Cardiff with Lewis similarly used sparingly as a starter by the Dragons. Between them, those three have begun just six senior matches this season. At least Assiratti has been featuring regularly in Cardiff’s run-on side, but he started in the 73-0 loss to South Africa in November, when Wales’ scrum endured all kinds of traumas.

So it’s up to all concerned to plot a way forward. It won’t be easy, but Wales can’t rely on Francis forever and badly need to add to their depth for the next World Cup and beyond.

If nothing else, Tandy will learn exactly where he stands on that front when it comes to his pool of tight-heads.

Ending the Six Nations with a win would have uplifted the whole squad, while the presence of new faces in the set-up will add to the competition.

But Wales are still rebuilding with many blocks needing to be put in place.

This summer will tell us exactly how much work Tandy has to do.