There are plenty of potential Wales squad players in England
Joe Jenkins of Bristol is one of a number of Welsh qualified players in England(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
The Gallagher Prem kicks-off tonight with Sale Sharks hosting Gloucester, and while new Wales boss Steve Tandy will be attending games in the United Rugby Championship he will also be keeping a close eye on matters across the Severn Bridge over the next few weeks.
Tandy’s reign begins with a difficult fixture against Argentina in 45 days’ time and while most of the squad will be based in Wales there will almost certainly be a sizeable contingent based in England. It is not ideal selecting players who are contracted to English clubs due to the lack of preparation time with Welsh based players available for every training camp or session.
So, the Wales coaches will need to be across all potential selections in England and talking to their coaches in the Gallagher Prem.
Clearly, there are some players in the Premiership who are almost dead certs for selection like Leicester Tigers pair Nicky Smith and Tommy Reffell along with Gloucester’s Tomos Williams and Dafydd Jenkins who is at Exeter Chiefs.
But there are a number of individuals who have flickered in and out of the squad over the past couple of years who need a big start to the season.
Exeter’s Christ Tshiunza is one of these.
The 23-year-old had long been touted as an international star of the future and has already won 15 caps for his country. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Tshiunza, who can play at lock or flanker, is athletically gifted and has shown signs of his ability at Test level especially on Wales’ summer tour of Australia in 2024 but has so far failed to achieve consistency.
Granted he has picked up a few injuries but he struggled for game-time in an Exeter Chiefs side which struggled badly last season and was nowhere to be seen on the international circuit.
Last season Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter urged Tshiunza to nail down one position and the Wales international needs to make a big start to the Gallagher Prem season if he is to make Tandy’s squad.
One player who Tandy really should consider for selection is Exeter Chiefs and England U20s backrower Kane James.
Originally hailing from Haverfordwest James is an explosive carrier with x-factor while his offloading and physicality is a real point of difference.
Despite representing England at age-grade level he is not tied to the Red Rose and should be a priority for Wales.
Bath’s Archie Griffin is also a likely selection but really is behind Springboks star Thomas du Toit and England’s Will Stuart in the pecking order.
Wales are not blessed at tighthead so it is unlikely Griffin will miss out on the autumn squad but he really needs to kick on and get more game-time for Bath while also showing he can dominate at scrum time.
Sale’s WillGriff John will also be in contention having figured during the Six Nations, with a strong performance in the narrow defeat to Ireland. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
Max Llewellyn is another player in need of a strong start to the season.
The powerful Gloucester centre was a regular last autumn but was initially left out of the Six Nations squad by Warren Gatland but was recalled by Matt Sherratt upon his appointment as interim head coach midway through the championship.
Llewellyn has held his own on the international stage without setting the world alight and will be under pressure from centres back home in Wales with the likes of Ben Thomas, Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Owen Watkin and Macs Page, among others.
The 26-year-old starts for the Cherry & Whites in the number 13 jersey tonight and needs to dominate over the first month of the season to justify his selection over those based in Wales.
“I will be judged on my physicality, whether in attack or defence, with the size that I am,” Llewellyn recently told the BBC.
“It’s how well I can get over the gain line or stop it on the other side of the ball, but I’d like to think I can do a bit more than that.
“We are so expansive at Gloucester and you end up getting a lot of opportunities. That’s really exciting because you know there will be chances, you just have to be one of the players that works hard enough to get on the end of it.”
Elsewhere at Gloucester wing Josh Hathaway has a lot of work to do if he is to represent his country this autumn with the likes of Blair Murray, Josh Adams, Tom Rogers and of course Louis Rees-Zammit ahead of him in the pecking order.
Hathaway is not included in the Gloucester squad to face Sale tonight with new signing Ben Loader and Ollie Thorley preferred on the wing. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
One Gloucester player who has a strong chance of selection is second-row Freddie Thomas who impressed out in Japan this summer, especially in the second Test victory.
It will be intriguing to see if Tandy considers Jarrod Evans.
Attack coach Sherratt is a big fan of the former Cardiff playmaker and called him into his Six Nations squad with Evans figuring off the bench.
Dan Edwards and Sam Costelow are the likely outside-halves but Evans does offer a lot in attack, although he is playing second fiddle to England star Marcus Smith at Harlequins.
It will also be interesting to see if Tandy does have one eye on the World Cup when it comes to selection because there are a number of talented Welsh youngsters in England.
Might Bristol tighthead Sam Scott be invited in to train with the squad? Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington is also a big fan of Wales U20s backrower Deian Gwynne who is likely to get senior minutes for the Cherry & Whites this season.
Former Wales U20s lock Jonny Green will also surely get game-time for Harlequins this season.
At 6ft 7in and over 18 stone Green has the size and power to make his mark on the professional game while he also qualifies for England.
There are also at least three centres worth keeping an eye on in Bath’s Louie Hennessey, Bristol’s Joe Jenkins and Harlequins’ Bryn Bradley.