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The Wales coach was forced to face questions on the pay dispute on Thursday
Wales head coach Steve Tandy insists there is “no hangover” after a resolution was found to a pay dispute that threatened Saturday’s Nations Championship opener against Fiji.
Players were locked in meetings with Welsh Rugby Union bosses on Wednesday over match fees – with a press conference cancelled as a result. In the end, an agreement was reached shortly before 5pm.
However, while further crisis might have been avoided, it has hardly provided ideal preparation for Tandy as he heads into his third competitive campaign as Wales coach.
The first two campaigns have been with the shadow of the WRU’s plans to cut a region hanging over the national team, while this is just the latest dispute over match fees ahead of a summer tour.
Despite the unwelcome distraction, Tandy insisted his players have been brilliant this week as he named his side to take on the Flying Fijians in Cardiff.
“To be honest, I just want to talk about Fiji and the rugby,” said the Wales coach. “The only thing I’m really grateful of is it is resolved and there’s no hangover from it.
“The boys have been really focused when it comes to training. And we will get there at some point where there’ll be a campaign where we just talk totally about rugby.
“I’m just really pleased it’s resolved and the players now can wholeheartedly focus on the game on Saturday, which they’re really excited about. I know what it means for them to represent our nation in the right way.
“The boys have been brilliant in how they’ve gone about that and learning through where we’re going to go.”
According to sources, things threatened to become precarious at various points throughout the week.
The threat of strike action is no new thing in Welsh rugby – although this latest incident was headed off at the pass before industrial action could be brought up publicly.
When asked if there was ever the threat of a strike, Tandy said: “I just talked to the boys, it’s just about support. Lots of the negotiations, I’m not aware of.
“And the only thing that’s come out for me is it’s been resolved, there’s been training as normal, the timings of the week have been great. The way the boys have been on the field and in the meetings have been impeccable.”
Tandy himself would not have been involved in any meetings this week, with players meeting with WRU bosses. However, as he tries to juggle players who have both a Test against Fiji and a pay dispute to contend with, the Wales coach will have been kept busy this week.
“It’s just always keeping connected with the players,” said Tandy. “That’s massive for us, but I’m not involved in the negotiations.
“It’s just make sure we’re checking in with the players and making sure they’re OK. And in fairness, the players have been brilliant.
“The preparation hasn’t been interrupted in terms of our training and how we’ve gone about it. It’s great for us that it’s resolved and we can get really focused on the Fiji game.
“People have gone through experiences, and nothing’s perfect. It’s just how you deal with those things. There’s a group there that are really connected, they are tight to each other, and I believe as a coaching staff as well we’re connected with them.
“They’re resilient. There’s lots of stuff that goes on and that’s every day as well. Like I said, it’s brilliant that it’s resolved and we can firmly focus on putting the performance in on Saturday.”
No one from the Welsh Rugby Union other than Tandy – be that CEO Abi Tierney or director of rugby Dave Reddin – has fronted up to face the media yet in the wake of the pay dispute.
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