Tandy’s Wales rebuild starts with daunting Autumn series

Simon Thomas

Having someone take on the job of Wales head coach at a hugely turbulent time for the game in this country is, of course, nothing new.

In the past, we’ve seen appointments just weeks before World Cup campaigns following calamitous results – Alan Davies in 1991 and Alec Evans in 1995.

You had Graham Henry taking charge after the record 96-13 defeat to South Africa at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld in 1998.

Then Warren Gatland was installed in the wake of Wales bombing out of the 2007 World Cup at the group stage with defeat to Fiji in Nantes.

But, if anything, the task now facing Steve Tandy is arguably even more challenging.

The new boss has inherited a team which endured a record 18-match losing run before that finally came to an end with victory over Japan in July.

Unlike most of his predecessors, he has few genuine world class players to work with, as demonstrated by just two of his squad – Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams – having earned selection for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer.

He also faces a daunting autumn campaign which features games against three of the countries involved in one of the best Rugby Championships for years – Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa – with Japan completing the programme.

To make things even more testing, he will be without the 13 exiles in his squad for the showdown with the world champion Springboks as that final game of the series is outside the official international window.

Then, of course, there is the political turmoil swirling around in the background amid the WRU’s intention to cut the number of professional teams from four to three – an announcement made just days before the Wales squad met up.

Anxiety

That hugely controversial plan is causing yet more uncertainty and anxiety and will inevitably be weighing heavily on people’s minds. You’ve got players in the squad who don’t know whether their teams will still be in existence in a year’s time or what their job situation will be. That’s clearly extremely unsettling and hardly the ideal preparation for taking on some of the best sides in the world. There’s even been talk of a potential players’ strike impacting the autumn programme.

This is what Tandy has found himself having to deal with.

So, taking everything into consideration, the task facing him could hardly be much more onerous.

You wouldn’t blame him for wondering whether he would have been better off remaining as Scotland’s defence coach.

But the one thing everyone who knows him seems to agree on is he is not a man to shirk a challenge.

Wales legend Shane Williams joined Neath on the same day as flanker Tandy back in the late 1990s and they went on to be long-time team-mates, first at the Gnoll and then with the Ospreys.

“He was a massively underrated player. His knowledge of the game was brilliant,” says the former wing wizard.

“It’s a brave, brave decision to do what he has done. He was doing really well at Scotland. It’s typically Steve Tandy. It’s a big tough job, but he’s gone for it. He’s got the cojones and I think he will make a good go of it.

“If you are looking for someone with thick skin and a tough attitude, he is your man. He’s a no-nonsense guy, which is what I think we need at the moment.

“He will give it his best go. He always has. As a player, he was tough, dogged, always gave it his all. I don’t see him being any different as a national coach.”

‘Mentally tough’

As for what the 45-year-old Tandy will instill in the players, Williams said: “He will make them mentally tough. He’s a defensive coach, so that is his physical attitude, to toughen up his players.

“It’s not an overnight fix. He knows that. He is very realistic in what he wants to achieve and perhaps how long it is going to take. It’s going to be a tough autumn, but I’ve got complete faith in him.”

Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia played alongside Tandy in the Ospreys back row for a number of years and is similarly glowing in his praise for the Tonmawr product.

“I can only speak highly of Tandy, he’s a beautiful man,” said Tiatia.

“He’s a very uplifting coach, very caring, but also very demanding when he needs to be.”

Tiatia believes Tandy’s coaching journey – which began at Bridgend, continued at the Ospreys and took in a spell with the NSW Waratahs in Australia ahead of the move to Scotland – has stood him in good stead.

“He’s a big learner,” said the former All Black.

“He’s done a lot in a short space of time, taking himself out of his comfort zone and embracing the challenges.

“He wants to keep improving, but also improve the people who he is around.”

Clearly, the key judgement on Tandy will be based on performances and results, but there have certainly been encouraging signs in terms of how he has started off in the job, particularly when it comes to how he has interacted with people.

He has made a point of going around the regions, talking to players and coaches, while the way he picked his first squad was very revealing.

Not only did he phone all the players selected personally, but he also contacted a number of those who had narrowly missed out to let them know they were in his thoughts.

While there were questions raised over some of the absentees and the limited cover in certain positions – notably openside and, for the Springboks game, outside centre – generally the reaction to his 39-strong squad was pretty positive.

Media

Another big part of the job is dealing with the media and he admitted at the outset that would be a challenge as it’s not where he’s at his most comfortable.

But he’s handled those duties well enough so far, speaking from the heart about just how much it means to him to do the job and acknowledging that receiving criticism will, at times, inevitably be part of the role.

He’s also addressed the elephant in the room – the deeply contentious regional restructuring saga – emphasising the importance of people within the camp talking about it and supporting each other rather than shying away from it.

It was telling that it was Tandy’s idea to hold an open training session at the Principality Stadium this week in a bid to build a connection with the public.

That’s a word you have heard used a lot over the past couple of weeks – connection.

The new coach clearly wants to build a tight-knit empathetic group, something which is probably all the wiser at these troubled times.

It was informative to listen to prop forward Archie Griffin talk about Tandy’s approach this week.

“He doesn’t seem to be that head teacher type,” said the Bath tighthead.

“He’s trying to get involved a lot with the players and not to have that division where it’s one and the other.

“He’s looking to create an environment where you can go and question coaches on why, if you think something isn’t as it should be. You can go back and ask about it.

“A lot of what we have been talking about is care and connection. You saw that even before we were in camp with coaches coming to players and asking them what needed to change going forward.”

So, in terms of man management, Tandy appears to be striking the right chord.

The question now is how will his team get on in terms of game management and just what will that team look like for next Sunday’s autumn opener against Argentina at the Principality Stadium.

Some positions are pretty nailed on, starting with skipper Jac Morgan on the openside flank, while the in-form Aaron Wainwright is odds on to pack down alongside him at No 8 with Taulupe Faletau unfortunately ruled out of the campaign with a knee injury.

Elsewhere in the pack, summer skipper Dewi Lake is a certain starter at hooker, with Nicky Smith and Griffin favourites for the propping berths either side of him in a repeat of the front row that started in Kobe, with Rhys Carre now back in favour and available to add ball-carrying oomph from the bench.

Changes are afoot at lock with Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins fit again, while summer starter Teddy Williams is sidelined with a dislocated foot. To add to the boilerhouse mix, you also have Rhys Davies, Ben Carter, James Fender and the versatile Freddie Thomas in contention.

The selection here could hinge on what happens on the blindside flank. Tandy may opt to stick with a specialist six in Alex Mann – who started both Tests in Japan and has been going well for Cardiff – or he could go for a bigger, taller hybrid forward against the muscular Pumas, with either Thomas or Jenkins slotting in on the blindside.

Turning to the backs, Tomos Williams is one of the first names on the team-sheet at No 9 and you would probably expect him to be partnered at half-back by Dan Edwards, with Callum Sheedy’s game management and Jarrod Evans’ flair offering experienced back-up options.

Flux

As for the centres, that’s the area which has seen probably the most flux over the past couple of years with numerous players tried out amid something of a revolving door selection policy. So it will be revealing to see what combination Tandy goes for, in terms of style of play as much as anything.

His attack coach, Matt Sherratt, likes to have a second playmaker at 12 and has placed great store by the job Ben Thomas has done for him there for both Cardiff and Wales.

If Thomas is retained at inside centre, Max Llewellyn would seem his likeliest midfield partner, although Nick Tompkins has been performing impressively for Saracens.

The biggest talking point will, of course, be whether Louis Rees-Zammit starts on the wing.

He has only made three appearances for Bristol since returning from American Football, having been sidelined for the past four weeks with a foot injury.

But he has said it’s looking positive in terms of being fit for the start of the campaign and so you would think he might well step straight back in given he looks to have rejoined rugby bigger and faster than ever based on his outings so far, notably his blistering finish against Leicester.

Josh Adams is also back firing on all cylinders, as he showed with his scorching score in Cardiff’s win over Edinburgh last weekend, so may get the nod on the other wing ahead of Tom Rogers, with Blair Murray completing what has the makings of a really potent back three.

Whether they can get sufficient ball to do damage is another matter, with assistants Danny Wilson and Duncan Jones having big roles to play in overseeing the set-piece.

What you can expect, given Tandy’s recent roles as a defence coach, is an emphasis on a resolute rearguard as a foundation stone. We then wait to see what can be built upon that foundation.

One thing we can be sure of is the new boss will give it his best shot as he looks to find a way forward amid the rubble of Welsh rugby.