'I think we've got the right person. Steve has strong views, but he’s also prepared to be challenged'

WRU chiefs outline process that saw them plump for Tandy as head coach

- By BEN JAMES

ON MONDAY, roughly 10,000 miles separated Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney and director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin.

Two points of a triangle - one in the southern part of Brisbane’s CBD, the other in Cardiff's Principality Stadium - speaking almost simultaneously about the new Wales head coach.

Rarely, if ever, has a Wales coaching announcement spanned time zones in such a manner.

The third point of this triangle, Steve Tandy, is enjoying some — well-deserved downtime after his final summer tour with Scotland.

He'll arrive in Wales next month, ready to start work.

‘The process to get to this point has been a long one. In part, that has been down to Tandy’s commitments with Scotland.

Tandy had been keen to fulfil his summer duties with the Scots, and the governing body had been desperate to keep hold of their defence coach.

It was back in early February, once Warren Gatland left his post mid-Six Nations, Wales found themselves searching for another coach.

‘The previous search had been alarmingly quick. Nine days separated Wayne Pivac’s final game in charge and his sacking. Gatland’s return was announced in the same press release.

In the end, it did little for Gatland or, most importantly, Welsh rugby.

And so, as Matt Sherratt sat in the Vale of Glamorgan’s golf club, still decked out in Cardiff gear, as the world learned that Gatland’s second stint in Wales was over, the search - in earnest - was about to begin.

It was interim director of rugby Huw Bevan, along with Tierney, who kicked off the process - whittling down 150 names to a much smaller shortlist, with Tandy certainly to the fore.

However, things changed once Reddin was appointed in late April. The former FA performance expert doesn’t formally start his role until September, but the WRU are believed to have been impressed with how he's thrown himself into the head coach search.