Players picked on form not club location – Tandy

Wales head coach Steve Tandy says selection is based on players’ current form and how they fit his approach, not where their clubs are located. His squad for the Nations Championship match against Japan includes a record number of England-based players, reflecting a growing presence of Welsh talent in English clubs.

Twelve players from English clubs are in the squad, with nine in the starting XV and three on the bench. The selection follows a 2023 change to the eligibility rule, which lowered the cap threshold for overseas-based players from 60 to 25; just six England-based players were in Wales’s 2023 World Cup squad. Tandy says overseas clubs offer different coaching and competition, though distance can limit time together with the national team.