Tandy

Wales are playing a week later than other nations, with all last weekend’s games played outside World Rugby’s international window.

The window is a designated three-week period, which starts this weekend, where international matches take precedence over club fixtures and all players are made available.

The likes of Ireland, Scotland and England chose to stage matches a week before the window opened.

The extra games are organised to raise revenue for governing bodies with the success of the fixture depending on how many tickets are sold.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has opted to play their extra match on the weekend after the window closes. They take on the Springboks on Saturday, 29 November when no other international matches are taking place.

The match in Cardiff clashes with league fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC) which will involve sides from Wales and South Africa.

Both Test teams are set to also be without players who play for clubs in England and France, while the Springboks also have players involved with sides in Japan.

Tandy has returned to Wales after leaving in 2018 at the end of a six-year stint as Ospreys head coach.

He took up a defence coach position with the Waratahs in Sydney before moving on to Scotland in 2019.

Tandy also spent a summer with the British and Irish Lions in 2021 as part of Warren Gatland’s backroom staff.

In July Tandy opted to return home to Wales and has already met up with some familiar faces in his new role, such as former Ospreys team-mate and current Dragons boss Filo Tiatia.

“I can only speak highly of Tandy, he’s a beautiful man,” said Tiatia, who played with the 45-year-old former flanker for five years.

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

“He can only be good for Wales and I wish him all the best with all this success. He’s got four tough Tests, they will need support.”

Tiatia believes Tandy’s decision to move around to develop his coaching skills will stand him in good stead.

“He’s a big learner,” added Tiatia. “He’s done a lot in a short space of time. He wants to keep improving but also improve the people who he is around.

“You look at Steve’s journey as the Ospreys coach, he got moved on, there was an opportunity in Australia and he took himself out of his comfort zone.

“He moved to Scotland and embraced the challenge there also, where he did a great job as a defence coach.”