This post was originally published on this site.
Here’s what the Wales coach had to say after naming his 48-man squad for the summer
Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named a 48-man extended squad for this summer.
There are six uncapped players included, while Jac Morgan is back from injury. Here’s what Tandy had to say after naming his summer squad ahead of matches with Barbarians, Fiji, Argentina and South Africa…
Is it a sign that you’re looking to widen the playing pool with the six uncapped players?
“It’s a little bit different with everyone coming in staggered. It gives us a real good opportunity to see a few more people. It’s good to see some uncapped guys come in. We’ll have an extended period with some of them, while others will come in later. All in all, I’m really excited by the squad and getting some new faces in.”
Was it a job having to convince Kane James to choose Wales over England?
“He’s Welsh. Just having spoken to Kane when I arrived, having been down to see him and stayed in contact, he’s an awesome human being. He’s very focused on what he wants to become. We’re very lucky to have Kane. He’s very motivated to play for us.”
What do you think his best position is? And what attributes can he bring?
“I think probably the big thing I like about him is he can play anywhere in the back row. 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 coming back from his injury. There’s so much to like about Kane and how he attacks it. 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.”
Is he fully fit?
“He’s only a couple of weeks away I think, like I said we wouldn’t be picking him if we didn’t feel he’d be available.”
What can Bryn Bradley bring to the squad?
“Obviously I’m biased as a defence coach. I like the way he’s gone about it as well, working his way into the team. He’s had to work hard as it’s a good squad down there.
“Both sides of the ball, he’s a big and athletic young man. He’s driven to be better. He only adds to our depth in a very competitive pool. I’m really excited about that.”
Do you have to deal with the challenge of players coming in later as they’re English-based?
“You get used to it. Every campaign is different, whether it’s autumn, summer or Six Nations. We can always think of what we’d like it to be, but ultimately it’s not. You learn from experiences. It’s a good opportunity for us to connect up and share information.
“We’ve been speaking to all these players relatively regularly. It is what it is. It’s up to us coaches to make it as simple and refined as possible for players when they come in so they can be the best version of themselves.”
Is there a decision to be made on the captaincy?
“For us, it’s about having a really good think about it now the squad has been announced. Jac’s up and running. We’ve got some really good young leaders coming through, Jac being a major one of them.
“I thought the way Dewi went about his business in the Six Nations was outstanding. Then we’ve got Daf Jenkins, Tomos Williams and Josh Adams – boys who have been leading throughout. It’s how we managed the leadership situation properly, having chats with the boys about how we manufacture that going forward.”
How big is Jac Morgan’s return?
“He’s a world-class player and a world-class bloke as well. You see what it means to him playing rugby. He’s always been around the group, even in the Six Nations popping his head in. It’s brilliant for him to be back playing, but it’s awesome for us as a nation that we’re bringing someone of a world class quality back in.”
How big a challenge will it be going from Argentina to South Africa from one week to the next?
“It’s a huge ask for the players. But it’s an exciting challenge. That’s how we’re going to undertake it. That’s where we’re trying to grow the depth of the squad. We do feel we’re building cohesion in this team. We named the same team for the last two games of the Six Nations, which was a massive help for us.
“Where we’re building depth, we’ll have that ability. It’ll be assessing how we travel. It’s also the back-end of the season. We won’t approach it like that, but there’ll probably only be three or four training days in between games at that point. It’s making sure we get our work done before we leave for Argentina. There’ll be a massive focus on recovering. But it’s an opportunity to move the team around.”
How will it work with flights?
“It’s going to be a couple of flights. So I think there’s still bits and pieces being worked out. I know Martyn (Williams) has been away on reccies as well. It’s going to be a couple of flights but again it’s making sure that it’s not making excuses about it.
“It is going to be challenging but I think that’s the exciting bit for us as a group and going into the unknown. But you’re going in there together and it’ll be the same for every team I think. It’s going to be amazing as well.
“I think we can look at all the stuff that we think will hinder it or whatever but I think it’s awesome. We’ve got Fiji in Cardiff and then we’re off to play two of the best teams in the world at the minute away from home. For us it’s just going to be exciting. There will be a couple of logistical things but ultimately that’s part of what we do.
Tommy Reffell missed out on your first two squads – how pleased have you been with his response?
“He’s been outstanding. It’s tough as a coach when you’re speaking to people and leaving them out. That’s important that we do that. Fair play to Tommy. With the tough conversations we’ve had about leaving him out, he’s been so positive about how he gets back in. The way he’s gone about his business with Leicester has been outstanding.
“As you can see from the squad, we’ve got some top-end sevens, which is exciting. But watching Tommy on the weekend, after he’d come back from that freak injury, it was great to have the conversation with him to let him know he was back in. He was absolutely delighted because you can see the importance of what it means to play for Wales.”
Are you confident the likes of Dewi Lake, Sam Costelow and Jarrod Evans will be fit?
“I don’t think we’d name them if we didn’t feel really confident. They’re tracking well and some boys are doing rehab at the Vale, so the medical team are right across it. All in this squad, we believe will be available.”
This is now your third campaign – what are you hopes for this summer?
“We want to build. It’s about constantly growing our team. I think we did that from the start to the finish in the Six Nations. Incrementally we got better. Hopefully we’re adding to our squad depth, but we also want our performances to keep going in a positive direction.”
