How Tandy is addressing an issue that became a real problem for Gatland

THE Steve Tandy era is under way with the Wales head coach naming his first international squad ahead of a busy autumn campaign.

- JOHN JONES Sports writer [e-mail]

Unveiling his first selection calls on Tuesday, there were plenty of talking points within the 39-man squad, not least the returning Louis Rees-Zammit and the surprise inclusion of Rhys Carre, who is back in the Wales setup for the first time since 2023 following confirmation from the Professional Rugby Board that he is eligible for selection despite having less than 25 caps.

There is then, of course, the matter of five uncapped players - Brodie Coghlan, Danny Southworth, James Fender, Morgan Morse and Louie Hennessey - being called into the squad, while there were some notable omissions including the likes of Tommy Reffell and Harri Deaves.

All in all, Tandy’s opening gambit has gone down well with fans who are desperate to see some sort of improvement on the international stage after an utterly dismal couple of years.

But perhaps the most promising sign so far from Wales’ new head coach lies not within the names he has selected, but rather his clear willingness to resolve an issue that his predecessor Warren Gatland never managed to during his time in charge.

During his disastrous second stint as Wales boss, the New Zealander openly admitted that he had found one aspect of coaching the current generation of players’ particularly challenging.

With a younger group of players to deal with, he said he felt under pressure to adjust his coaching methods to adapt to what he described as a “woke” environment in society in general, something which he doesn’t believe helped him or his team.

“I think there was a period where we became so woke and we were so afraid of what we said and stuff,” he told the Stick to Rugby podcast shortly after stepping down as head coach.

“But sport - not just rugby - is hard and it’s tough and it’s not always enjoyable and you've got to be mentally tough, you've got to have resilience.