Wales head coach Steve Tandy says he's getting closer to finding his best side after legends Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar both questioned if that's the case. Tandy's side ended their summer campaign with a heavy 43-0 defeat to the back-to-back world champion Springboks in Durban, shipping seven tries and being kept off the scoreboard. It was a brutal end to a gruelling summer, with Tandy having made six changes for the match.
Travel Demands and Selection Challenges
Part of that was down to the travel demands on Wales, having gone from Cardiff to San Juan to Durban in the space of two weeks. But it's also an indication that Tandy still isn't sure on his best side. When asked afterwards whether he knows what his best XV is, the Wales coach said he was getting closer after a year in the job.
"I think it's getting closer," he said after the 43-0 defeat in Durban. "We've got young men as well, in particular a lot of the backline, so we're finding out lots. I thought we've had real positives with Eddie (James) and Joe (Hawkins) through the Six Nations. It's a good opportunity for Ben (Thomas) and Max (Llewellyn), unfortunately Max was injured (and was replaced at half-time). We're finding out. Ellis Mee has come through. Dan (Edwards) has had more test matches, Sam Costelow has come back. So I think look I'm getting clearer but also there's a balancing act of getting cohesion and also giving some boys opportunity to as we go."
Wales Legends Voice Concerns
Both Biggar and Warburton were not so certain that Wales' best side is obvious when speaking on ITV as pundits. "This is Steve Tandy's 13th game in charge of Wales," said former fly-half Dan Biggar. "I'm not sure that, if there was a World Cup quarter-final tomorrow, how much of his starting team does he know? Probably four or five positions. That's the big thing. There's only nine or 10 competitive games left, so they're going to have to settle on something quickly and find something quickly. It's a bit of a concern that they're swapping so much."
Former Wales captain Sam Warburton added: "I've got this Wales team now. Dewi Lake is a shoe-in. Rhys Carre starts because he's been causing so much damage. Adam Beard is good from a maul defence and lineout perspective. I think Wales missed Daf Jenkins in this tournament. He's been excellent this season and is maturing. Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright, yes. Tomos Williams, yes. Louis Rees-Zammit, yes - he's got that X-factor and super high ceiling. But then I think it's up for grabs. There's only seven players there who I think are dead certs. There's then guys who can play their way in and out of the team."
