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Steve Tandy held court with journalists to explain his Six Nations squad selection
Wales will enter this Six Nations campaign with the game in complete and utter turmoil.
On the day Steve Tandy named his Six Nations squad, the selection was overshadowed by news Ospreys owners Y11 Sports & Media are the Welsh Rugby Union’s preferred choice to buy Cardiff Rugby.
To his credit, Tandy didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room as he explained his squad selections, which include two uncapped players and a return for experienced tighthead Tomas Francis.
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Here is every word from today’s press conference.
Why have you selected the two uncapped players Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Louie Hennessey?
“I went up to Leicester before the autumn and spoke to Geoff [Parling] a lot about the environment. Obviously we have a few boys up there.
“I’ve watched him for Cardiff as well. The way he’s been tracking in and around the environment and knowing what he’s been about with not being in the Leicester team and how hard he’s been fighting.
“Then you [look] at Leicester with Radwan and Hassell-Collins and the way they play and just linking into Gabe’s mindset. When he’s taken the opportunity, when it comes to the Champions Cup, I feel like he’s really shown what he can do.
“Aerially he’s been outstanding. The way he goes after the game playing against a physical team like the Stormers as well. I’m really impressed with that.
“It was brilliant having Louie in the autumn. I know he has [had] limited opportunities with Bath but every time he has an opportunity he makes it count. He comes on and more or less with his first touch scores.
“Then he comes off the bench against Exeter and has a big impact on the game. His workrate and the way he sets somebody else up for it, his mindset to everything is great.
“[They are] two great players to come into the squad and I’m really excited to work with them both. Louie again but also with Gabe. We’ve heard a lot about him and seeing him up close and personal will be great.”
How much of an asset will Tomas Francis be?
“Lots of countries are always looking for depth and adding someone with Franny’s experience is huge and he’s motivated which is brilliant. I’ve been in dialogue with him since I’ve come back.
“He’s had an amazing experience in France with his family and doing something different. I think that does open your mind up but also he probably realises he hasn’t played international rugby. He’s extremely motivated and will add experience.
“Archie and Azza can learn from him but also he will push them. We feel regaining a little bit more depth there is great for us as a rugby team.”
You’ve recalled a handful of players like Sam Costelow and Ryan Elias. Why is that?
“That’s where it was great for us coaches over the last week having real debate around selection. The great thing for me is there are certain positions where [it] isn’t about what they aren’t doing. It’s other people actually being really competitive.
“You look at the 10s. Sheedy played really well at the start of the year and has done well through the Christmas period as well but we feel the way Sam responded to not being in the squad was excellent.
“I thought his performance against Bristol was outstanding. I think going into a boot, then coming back against one of the best teams in Europe at Franklin’s Gardens he was excellent. There’s a reward for his form in and around those two big games.
“Look, it is gutting for Sheedy as well, because he was a brilliant member of the autumn [squad]. He’s playing really well but ultimately, selfishly, when you speak to these boys, they are really disappointed not to be in, but as a coach these are the type of things we want.
“We want them to be competitive. We want positions where selection is really close.
“Ryan Elias, he was one of the first guys I spoke to when I came back in. His motivation to play for Wales is huge. I think it probably reinvigorated him, in and around not being part of it for a bit. He was devastated around his injury and how we worked to come back.
“I thought his form on the weekend… he adds that physicality and experience, which I think always adds value to the team.”
Can Eddie James and Mason Grady, who are two big men, give you an extra dimension?
“With our nation, we are not blessed with obscene physical stature right throughout, but we’ve got to work with the things we have got. But also not picking big for big’s sake.
“You look at Eddie and he’s made a difference. When you look at Eddie and the way he’s playing, it’s his skillset going beyond the contact and even before, it has been excellent.
“There’s been a lot of change. I spoke to Dwayne at the start of the season and he’s changed his physicality as well. The way he’s adapted his physicality has been excellent. You can see it looks like he’s becoming more and more of a professional. That was brilliant.
“Having Mason back up and running, the way he’s chasing kicks at the minute, the way he can bump people and go beyond it. He’s quick as well as well as big.
“The exciting thing for the both of them is their ceiling is really high. They aren’t the finished article and there’s lots of things for them to grow and build on through the environment. So, it is exciting for us.”
How much of a distraction will the off-field politics be?
“For me, there’s always something you don’t want to talk about. It’s very similar to the autumn and we want to get connected to the boys and spend a lot of time with them.
“I understand there’s speculation and there’s doubt around a lot of things, so for me it’s being honest with them. If they’ve got something to share, if they’re seeking more clarity or anything they want to talk about then we have to be open.
“One thing we can’t do is run away from it or pretend it’s not happening. I think that worked well for us coming into the autumn, it’s far from perfect but ultimately, for me, it’s putting the players, the staff and the people at the centre of it.
“If they’ve got any reservations or if they want someone to talk to or to understand, I’ll be doing that with the players. There’s always that distraction. When you’re talking about all the speculation, everyone’s talking about it. You can’t run away from it and you can’t put it out of your mind.
“The one thing that’s been amazing with these players is what it means to play for Wales and how in sport they can compartmentalise and get on with their training week.
“I believe we’re building enough of a connection on the rugby side with the players that they’ll be truly motivated and I think the best way to do the talking is on the field.”
How much will it hurt if the Ospreys do go, given you played and coached them?
“If you were part of any club it would sting and hurt. There is lots of history with every club. I played and coached the Ospreys, I am proud of that but I know there is pride around Dragons, Cardiff and Scarlets.
“I am not going to comment on speculation but if I put myself in anyone’s shoes, whoever you represent, it’s going to hurt and there will be frustration and anger. Any time you lose something there will be those feelings.
“I can’t comment specifically on one team when I genuinely don’t know what is happening, because I have been focusing 100% on squad selection.
“We have to be aware of the people as well and we base a lot of our identity on connection and being true to ourselves and the players. If they have any issues, then they can walk through our door or pick up the phone to speak to us about frustrations or if we can give them a bit more understanding.”
Will you have to put an arm around Ospreys players?
“They were brilliant in the autumn and they all wanted to be there for each other. I will be chatting to everyone. We will be connected right across the board and it’s important that we are there for the players on and off the field.”
What does success look like in this tournament? Is there a minimum expectation in terms of wins?
“I thought there were lots of green shoots in the autumn. I think the important thing for us is building on that.
“Large parts of the New Zealand game is how we want to do it and how we want to play. I think there were elements against Japan, the last 90 seconds of the game in how they ground that out and probably moments against Argentina as well, although there were lots of tidy ups.
“There’s learnings around that in how we’ve got to grow and the catching up we have to do. So, for me, the minimum and the expectation is we want to be better and there’ll be a clearer identity in how we want to play.
“Scoring four tries against the All Blacks, but also you see the discipline lens of how we were in the autumn, working hard on how we can make sure that’s much better, so we give ourselves a chance of being more competitive in these big games in the Six Nations.”
Why have you left Tommy Reffell out and on the flipside what do you like about Josh Macleod?
“I spoke to Tommy. I thought Tommy was excellent against Bayonne with the turnovers he got but again it goes back to Josh Macleod in terms of what he’s bringing and what Harri Deaves is bringing.
“Both sides of the ball they’ve been outstanding. I wasn’t there on the summer tour, but all of the feedback on Josh’s leadership in Japan was outstanding. You see what it means but also the addition to his game.
“Harri Deaves has kicked on again. Seeing him being exposed to the New Zealand game was amazing for him I think through these exposures, you realise how far they’ve got to go.
“In the New Zealand game, for Harri Deaves, it was like ‘well I can do this but I know I’ve got to kick on that extra 10-20% to get to that point.’ For me, again, I know I’m probably boring you with it but speaking to Tommy, you’ll see the care that he wants to play for Wales and how desperate he is to represent Wales.
“We are giving him feedback as well, but ultimately as well these are the conversations we need to have. We need to create depth and we need to have these conversations.
“Tommy will be driving to be what he wants to be and he wants to be in this squad. If Tommy was in the squad, you’d have absolutely no issue with it because we’ve got quality in that position. I think we are very fortunate in that regard.”
