Tandy goes big as Fiji first up is vital

It’s been a particularly low-key build up to Cymru’s summer campaign getting underway with very little debate over the squad selection and possible matchday 23s online.

Whether that’s because the new Nations Championship isn’t capturing any imaginations, there’s been a long gap from the season ending for the Welsh clubs to now, or because the Barbarians fixture last weekend passed the majority of people by, there’s certainly no buzz considering Steve Tandy’s side are getting the three test stretch underway in Cardiff.

While that BaaBaas game largely underwhelmed in terms of a spectacle though, along with the announcement of a slimmed down 33-man squad it does point to what Tandy is aiming to get out of these summer fixtures, and it’s putting a bit of pressure on him and his squad.

At Twickenham on Saturday we saw the likes of Rhys Barratt, Ryan Woodman and Harrison Keddie given an uncapped run out in the red jersey, while the likes of Ellis Bevan and Bryn Bradley were looked at in training, albeit the latter only for a short stint. They have now been released from the camp though ahead of the tests.

Left behind only Ben Warren and Kane James are uncapped members of the squad, and Warren realistically only included with the first choice tighthead trio of Tomas Francis, Archie Griffin and Keiron Assiratti injured. On the whole it is a horses for courses squad that largely backs the players who saw a good level of improvement through the Six Nations.

As a result we’ll need to see a continuation of that improvement, which in my view manifests itself as at least one win from Fiji, Argentina and South Africa.

The best chance of that undoubtedly comes on Saturday when Cymru make the short switch across from The Vale Resort to Cardiff City Stadium to face the Pacific Islanders. This is where the pressure comes on; win and it sets up a great opportunity to go San Juan and fly into Los Pumas, but lose and suddenly Tandy’s side are staring down the barrel of three straight losses.

There was a huge amount of positivity after the Six Nations, and the performances put in against Scotland, Ireland and Italy certainly give reason to be optimistic that the men in red can get the win in Leckwith. The loss of Dafydd Jenkins is a blow, but offset by the return of Jac Morgan, while the form of a lot of players coming into camp is better than it has been in previous years.

Obviously it’s still a long process to get Cymru back towards the top of the test game, and there will be bumps on that road, but if we want to make something of the 2027 Rugby World Cup then getting at least one win over the next three weeks is important. Losing cannot become a habit once again.

A lot will ride on the performances of those stepping in for injured teammates, particularly in the tight five. Teddy Williams and Ben Carter will have a big role to play in the absence of Jenkins, while Dillon Lewis is likely to get plenty of minutes as first choice tighthead. Full-back will be another key area with either Louis Rees-Zammit or Blair Murray having to step up.

This is a squad that should be good enough to make an impact on this Nations Championship in some way, shape or form though, and not just be also-rans propping up the table. Hopefully we see that on Saturday and carry it through. Who knows, we may even go to South Africa and not be completely blown away!