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 a rule – which stopped players with fewer than 60 caps being eligible if they played outside Wales – was changed in February 2023 to set the bar at just 25 caps.

Only six England-based players were in a 33-man Wales squad at the 2023 World Cup.

Tandy believes the number of non Wales-based players is an indication other leagues want Welsh talent, and that they are performing at the highest level when they go to new clubs.

“That’s exciting for us,” said Tandy.

“They’re also experiencing different environments and receiving different stimulus.

“They’re coming back with different experiences, things they’ve learned and plenty of motivation to represent Wales.”

Tandy accepts there are logistical challenges to preparation time, with England-based players returning to their clubs for certain periods when players at Welsh regions are available to work with him.

“We have to make the best of the situation,” said Tandy.

“I’d love to have more players based in Wales, that would be fantastic but that’s not the situation at the moment.

“You have to keep an open mind. We can either complain about having 20 players playing overseas, or we can recognise the benefits.”

The Wales coach accepts that brings a mix of positives, and some things he may potentially lose.

“We might not have as much contact with those players or be able to bring them into alignment camps as regularly,” he added.

“However, some are playing in front of full stadiums every week and experiencing different styles of competition and coaching.”



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