Will Wales tackle reliance on Williams before World Cup?

Wales boast a world-class scrum-half in Tomos Williams but Steve Tandy might have to assess his back-up before the 2027 World Cup. Tomos Williams was Prem player of the season for 2024-25 There are few, if any, players more secure of a starting spot at next year's World Cup in Australia than Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams. France superstar Antoine Dupont has a rival for the nine jersey in Maxime Lucu, a talisman for back-to-back European champions Bordeaux-Begles. Malcolm Marx, World Rugby's current player of the year, fights hard for his start as South Africa's hooker but must also be prepared for 'bomb squad' duty from the bench. The best players on the planet usually have a rival pushing them hard, but there is a gulf between 2025 British and Irish Lions tourist Williams and his fellow Welsh nines.

Wales have 12 or 13 fixtures to play before their 2027 World Cup opener against Zimbabwe in Adelaide on 2 October. Steve Tandy needs wins to build momentum but does the head coach, who names his Nations Championship squad on Tuesday, also need to work on a contingency plan at scrum-half? Williams has started every Test he has been available for since Tandy took the reins in the summer of 2025. The only fixtures he has missed – last November's defeat by