Players picked on form not club location – Tandy

With a record number of players based outside of Wales in his 23-man squad, head coach Steve Tandy says how they are playing is all that matters. Wales head coach Steve Tandy has won three and lost nine of his first internationals so far Head coach Steve Tandy says he does not consider which clubs his players play for when he selects his Wales side. Tandy has named 12 players from English clubs in his squad for the Nations Championship match against Japan in Cardiff, with nine in the starting XV, including six forwards. It is understood to be a record number of players based outside of Wales in a 23-man squad.

"I just see the boys playing the best at the minute and also you put in what fits to how we want to play," said Tandy. "Ultimately it doesn't matter where they play, it'll be the best players. "It's never about where they play, it's more about who are playing the best rugby." Gloucester trio Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Max Llewellyn, join Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol), Tomos Williams (Saracens), Nicky Smith (Sale), Archie Griffin (Bath), Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter) and Aaron Wainwright (Leicester), along with three more Prem players on the bench in Tomas Francis (Sale), Rhys Carre (Saracens) and Louis Hennessey (Bath). It represents a significant shift since