Wales defence coach Steve Tandy has left the door open for Taulupe Faletau to feature at a fourth World Cup, following the veteran No. 8's comeback from injury.
Faletau, 35, made his return for Cardiff against Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup at the weekend, having not played since March. Despite being out for an extended period, the two-time British and Irish Lion impressed in his first appearance, slotting back seamlessly into the starting side.
Although Tandy omitted Faletau from his 39-man squad for the autumn internationals, he did not dismiss the possibility of the legendary forward being selected for next year's World Cup in Australia.
Tandy: 'We're not ruling anybody out'
Speaking about Faletau's return, Tandy said: "Toby in fairness has been out for a while. It's amazing what he can do. We're not ruling anybody out."
When asked directly whether Faletau could make a fourth World Cup, Tandy added: "I don't see why not. For me, if you were playing regularly and you were playing well, then we can't afford not to think of anyone, and it'll be about performances."
He emphasised that age would not be a barrier to selection, stating: "When we're speaking to any player, it doesn't matter at what age you are. Whether it's someone like Steffan Emanuel, Lewis Edwards or Taulupe – if you were playing regularly and you were playing well, then we can't afford to not be thinking of anyone. It's about performances. It's great to see him back out there. You see how quickly he picks up the game. He's a legend of the game. He's a world-class player. We would definitely not rule anyone out."
Faletau's World Cup history
Faletau made his World Cup debut at the 2011 tournament as a 20-year-old, playing in all seven matches as Wales narrowly missed reaching a first World Cup final. He also featured in the 2015 and 2023 tournaments, though injury kept him out of the 2019 campaign, where Wales reached the semi-finals.
At the 2023 World Cup, Faletau was in strong form before Wales' campaign was disrupted after he suffered a broken arm against Georgia in Nantes. Since then, injuries have limited his Test appearances to just five, with the last being the first Test against Japan in the summer of 2025. He has also played sparingly for Cardiff, appearing only 16 times across the last three seasons.
Talks over Wales future
Tandy confirmed he did not speak to Faletau about selection this time, given his recent return from a long lay-off, but revealed he has held conversations with the forward previously about his ambitions with Wales.
"I haven't spoken to Toby since Cardiff's game but I've had chats with him over the period that I have been in charge, because he was going to be in the first two campaigns," Tandy said. "I've spoken to Toby about being fit and available, then we can cross that bridge when he has put some consistent rugby together."
He added: "Toby is competitive. He loves playing for Cardiff and loves playing for Wales, so I can see the drive in him. If he's out on the field then he's not playing just to play for Cardiff, I think Toby has ambition to play for Wales."
Given Faletau's recent struggles to string together matches, questions remain over his durability for another World Cup. However, his proven quality may afford him some extra grace, though Tandy stressed the importance of backing up performances.
"With the older athlete, you're not going to ask them to play 80 minutes every week," said Tandy. "You need to have enough evidence that they are going to be robust enough for a World Cup campaign, when you only take a squad of 33. You have to be robust to play back-to-back games, which I'm hopeful Toby can do. You have to manage players. Even the boys that are probably at their prime physically, you still probably can't back up 80 minutes every week either."
