Wales head coach Steve Tandy is set to name his team to face Fiji at 9am on Thursday, July 2, as attention returns to rugby following a dramatic day of off-field turmoil. Preparations for Saturday's Nations Championship opener at Cardiff City Stadium were thrown into chaos on Wednesday after a dispute between players and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over match fees led to a scheduled press conference being cancelled, with fears at one stage that strike action could threaten the fixture. An agreement was eventually reached later in the day.
Team Selection Challenges
On the field, Tandy faces several key selection calls following Dafydd Jenkins' injury. Scarlets forward Taine Plumtree is in contention for a surprise first Test start in the second row. There is also uncertainty at full-back, where Louis Rees-Zammit is battling a niggle, while Ben Warren could be handed his Test debut from the bench.
Fiji Star Withdraws
Fiji prop Luke Tagi will miss his side's clash with Wales this weekend after dropping out of their Nations Championship squad due to personal reasons. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Flying Fijians confirmed that the 20-stone Bayonne tighthead had pulled out of the upcoming campaign, with veteran prop Mesake Doge replacing him in the squad. However, the nature of his personal commitments has not been disclosed.
"Fiji Rugby wishes to advise that Luke Tagi will not be available for the upcoming Nations Championship due to personal commitments," the statement read. "Fiji Rugby acknowledges Tagi's commitment and willingness to represent the Flying Fijians and appreciates his continued dedication to the national team. We look forward to welcoming him back into the squad at the next available opportunity."
Former Dragons prop Doge was one of the standout players for the Fijian Drua during the Super Rugby Pacific season and a surprise omission from Senirusi Seruvakula's 32-man squad, which was announced at the start of last month.
Welsh Women's Coach Appointed Permanently
The Welsh Rugby Union have confirmed that Steve Salvin has been appointed as Wales Women's forwards coach on a full-time basis. Salvin, who helped lead Exeter Chiefs Women to back-to-back Premiership Women's Rugby finals in 2022 and 2023, initially joined the Wales set-up on an interim basis during this year's Six Nations, on secondment from his role as head coach at Sandy Park. He has now joined Sean Lynn's coaching team full-time, working alongside the head coach and defence coach Tyrone Holmes, as Wales prepare for their WXV campaign this autumn.
Lynn's side open that campaign with home fixtures against South Africa and the United States in September, before two away Tests against Japan. As his permanent appointment was confirmed, Salvin said: “The chance to work at Test match level during the recent W6N campaign was an opportunity that I relished and to get to do this on a full-time basis is an exciting one. It was my first real time coaching in Wales, and you feel the passion for rugby when you are around the players and when the team plays. I had coached against Sean in the PWR and thoroughly enjoyed working and coaching alongside him, Tyrone and Ashley Beck.”
“We share the same values, work ethic and the same ambition of building a new team identity and playing philosophy,” he added. “The was so much improvement over the W6N and the players desire to learn and improve was a key factor in wanting to do this job on a full-time basis. We all share the same goal of building real foundations for sustained success, and we have some really exciting talent coming through the pathway, age-grade sides and the Celtic Challenge.”
Head coach Lynn added: “Steve is a coach I knew well and respected from my time in the PWR, but I was really impressed with his technical expertise and how he relates to players in the women’s game. He made a real impact in a short time during the recent Six Nations, and I am delighted he will now come on board full-time with Wales.”
England Urged to Fill Itoje Void
Alex Coles insists England must be ready to fill the leadership and playing voids created by Maro Itoje’s absence when they clash with South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday. Itoje has been rested for the July tour – the first time he has been stood down for a campaign since making his Test debut a decade ago – with Jamie George deputising as captain in his absence.
Steve Borthwick names his team to take on the world champions on Thursday and with Itoje unavailable, the head coach is expected to pair Coles alongside George Martin in the second row with Ollie Chessum continuing at blindside flanker. Coles was outstanding in the knockout phase of Northampton’s recent march to the Gallagher Prem title and now has the opportunity to prove England can cope without their British and Irish Lions skipper.
“Maro is an absolutely fantastic player, one of the world’s best locks,” said Coles, who started at lock in last year’s 2-0 series victory in Argentina. “I’ve been privileged to get to play alongside him, work with him and train with him. I’ve picked up and learned so much from him. I’m hoping he’s resting up really well because he’s such an important player for us and we need him firing for the next few years. In some respects the absence of a senior pro, an experienced player, our captain, is always going to be a factor, but it leaves an opportunity for other people to step up and to develop themselves. We saw how well we did in Argentina last summer when we had so many players on the Lions tour. Loads of people took their opportunity, stepped up and developed their own game.”
Cadan Murley appears to have edged Noah Caluori for a spot on the wings alongside Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at the fortress of South African rugby, where England have triumphed just once in 1972. Freddie Steward has become a doubt after sustaining an ankle injury in training on Tuesday, potentially clearing the way at full-back for George Furbank to make his first Test appearance since November 2024. Borthwick’s plans at scrum-half are shrouded in doubt with Alex Mitchell, Ben Spencer and Jack van Poortvliet all in contention.
England enter the Nations Championship opener on the back of a four-Test losing run that registered their worst ever Six Nations performance. Facing South Africa at Ellis Park is one of the toughest assignments in world rugby but Coles is optimistic that a corner will be turned with further clashes against Fiji and Argentina to come this month. “We didn’t deliver what we wanted to in the Six Nations and that’s something we’ve been working really hard at in terms of improving our performances,” he said. “Hopefully through the training effort, through all the hard work we put in, the results will start to improve from the Six Nations.”
