New Tandy Era Aims To Lift Wales From Doldrums

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v Argentina

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Sunday, 9 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Commentary connected BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and unrecorded matter connected BBC Sport online.

The Steve Tandy era starts coming successful Cardiff against Argentina pinch Welsh rugby hoping for an urgent reset.

The Welsh crippled is successful disarray and needs immoderate benignant of feelgood factor.

Off nan field, nan Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) needs to show to supporters they tin tally nan crippled efficaciously aft caller controversies has provided nationalist distrust towards nan governing body.

On nan field, nan Welsh nationalist want to spot a men's nationalist broadside reconstruct an personality and yet return to winning ways, aft a recently-ended grounds 18-match losing tally which has seen them gaffe to 12th successful nan world.

Welsh fans will dream nan presence of caller caput coach Tandy tin thief animate nan commencement of that process.

After ending nan horrid tally of defeats pinch triumph against Japan successful Kobe successful their 2nd summertime Test, Wales now usher successful a caller era pinch Tandy nan first Welshman to go nan imperishable coach of nan nationalist squad since Gareth Jenkins near agency successful 2007.

Be tough, brave and smart. That has been nan caller motto pinch buzz words including 'identity' and 'connections'.

Tandy was a no-nonsense flanker during his playing days and nan erstwhile Scotland and British and Irish Lions defence coach has made a affirmative belief successful his first fewer weeks successful charge.

The 45-year-old has brought a caller outlook to really Wales run and hopes to construe that to nan transportation by reawakening a erstwhile proud rugby nation.

But he tin not beryllium expected to activity miracles. Any betterment will beryllium gradual and Tandy deserves clip to effort and move Welsh rugby's flagging fortunes around.

Tandy is inheriting a squad not utilized to occurrence pinch nan Welsh regions, and has named 11 players based successful England and France successful his first matchday 23.

One of those is returning Saracens prop Rhys Carre, who makes his first quality since 2023 aft falling retired of favour pinch erstwhile Wales coach Warren Gatland and his perceived unavailability nether nan WRU's 25-cap action policy.

With a loophole successful nan rules discovered, Carre returns to start, while nan biggest cheer of nan time mightiness beryllium reserved for erstwhile Bristol helping Louis Rees-Zammit enters nan section from nan replacements bench.

Rees-Zammit is backmost aft an 18-month spell successful nan NFL astatine nan Kansas City Chiefs and nan Jacksonville Jaguars and has been grabbing nan headlines again.

Wales desperately request a bully news communicative and affirmative press. Maybe nan man known arsenic "LRZ" could supply that.

Another play has presented different situation successful Welsh rugby. Two-and-a-half years connected from Wales players stepping backmost from taking onslaught action earlier a Six Nations fixture against England, nan home crippled is successful turmoil again pinch nan WRU proposing plans to trim 1 of nan nation's 4 regions.

The governing assemblage announced nan argumentation of cutting 1 of nan 4 master sides a mates of days earlier nan squad assembled nether Tandy for nan first time.

In April nan governing assemblage were still suggesting they could money 4 master sides equally. By August, nan penchant had dropped to 2 sides and 2 months later, 3 is now nan optimal number.

How they get location aliases by what day remains unclear, meaning location remains awesome uncertainty for players.

The WRU has confirmed it plans to assistance 3 licences for men's clubs - 1 for Cardiff, 1 successful nan eastbound and 1 successful nan west. That intends Ospreys and Scarlets could beryllium group to do conflict for WRU backing and nan licence successful nan west.

This leaves immoderate Welsh players preparing for autumn internationals wondering whether they will person a nine adjacent play aliases wherever they mightiness beryllium playing.

The players and coaches are trying to talk publically astir controlling what happens connected nan field, attempting to solely ore connected rugby matters.

We hold to spot whether nan issues person a antagonistic effect but it will return beardown characters to put specified matters to nan backmost of their minds.

Wales are hoping to move nan Principality Stadium backmost into a location fortress, having not won an world successful Cardiff for 27 months.

Since beating England successful a World Cup warm-up lucifer successful August 2023, Wales person suffered 9 consecutive location Test defeats, a losing grounds which has stretched backmost 827 days.

The astir caller Wales crippled successful Cardiff was 8 months agone - nan horrific 68-14 location Six Nations conclusion inflicted by England.

That was a grounds nonaccomplishment for nan hosts successful nan Welsh capital, nan astir points they person conceded astatine nan Principality Stadium, their heaviest Six Nations defeat, a grounds nonaccomplishment successful nan tourney and astir points conceded against England.

So Wales person to make amends successful a crushed that is nary longer a fortress. Tandy's broadside look Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa successful November, earlier location 2026 Six Nations matches against France, Scotland and Italy, successful a tourney wherever Wales past won a location lucifer successful February 2022.

How galore fans will move up to watch Tandy's broadside this period remains to beryllium seen pinch nan existent discontent surrounding nan Welsh game.

The Principality Stadium's capacity is 74,500, meaning nan 4 matches could pull a maximum of 298,000 supporters successful November.

Wales' conflict against nan All Blacks is presently nan only crippled adjacent to being a sellout.

There person been galore anecdotal stories astir immoderate tickets now being disposable astatine a discounted complaint and moreover being fixed distant for free.

It is nan WRU's work to effort and pull backmost nan fans who person drifted distant disillusioned pinch what they person witnessed connected nan section and publication astir disconnected it.

There is thing tangible astatine liking this November. Wales will beryllium among teams looking to prime up important ranking points earlier nan tie for nan 2027 Rugby World Cup connected 3 December.

Sides will beryllium drawn into six pools of 4 for nan group shape of nan tourney successful Australia.

The apical six sides successful nan world rankings will beryllium placed successful set 1 for nan tie and would truthful debar playing each different successful nan excavation stage, while nan adjacent six sides will shape nan 2nd band.

Wales are presently 12th and will want to enactment successful nan apical twelve to debar falling retired of nan 2nd group of teams and therfore facing an moreover trickier World Cup draw.

Victory against Japan successful nan 2nd autumn fixture is basal to execute this successful a important crippled pinch regards to World Cup seedings.

The Brave Blossoms won nan first summertime Test betwixt nan 2 sides earlier Wales took nan 2nd and beryllium straight beneath Tandy's broadside successful nan world rankings.

Before that Japan date, Argentina get successful Cardiff coming arsenic patient favourites. Los Pumas are sixth successful nan world rankings and caller from immoderate outstanding results successful nan Rugby Championship wherever Felipe Contepomi's broadside recorded historical victories against Australia and New Zealand.

The battle-hardened matchday squad person 944 caps betwixt them, much than 400 much than Wales possess.

Wales will besides look nan champion 2 sides successful nan world to reason nan run pinch New Zealand and world champions South Africa arriving successful Cardiff connected successive weekends.

The last crippled against nan Springboks is extracurricular World Rugby's world model which intends Wales will beryllium without their players based successful England and France.

It besides clashes pinch a United Rugby Championship (URC) convention play wherever nan 4 Welsh master sides will beryllium without their internationals.

So nan adjacent fewer weeks will supply much testing times connected and disconnected nan transportation arsenic nan conflict to triumph hearts and minds intensifies.

Tandy's squad will hunt for immoderate occurrence and nan WRU purpose to someway representation retired Welsh rugby's future.

Welsh fans conscionable request thing to clasp onto - that things tin and will beryllium different successful nan early aft nan exhausting soap opera of nan past fewer years.

They will dream that process starts today.