Toby Faletau has ambition to play for Wales, Brad Tandy says

Wales international Taulupe Faletau retains the ambition to play for his country again and put himself in contention for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, according to defence coach Brad Tandy.

Faletau’s World Cup History and Durability Questions

Faletau featured at the 2011, 2015, and 2023 World Cups but missed the 2019 tournament after breaking his collarbone during the pre-competition build-up. He has also played Test matches across three British and Irish Lions tours. Tandy, speaking about the number eight’s prospects, stated that the back-row forward remains fiercely competitive. “Toby is competitive. He loves playing for Cardiff and loves playing for Wales, so I can see the drive in him,” Tandy said, as reported by bbc.co.uk. “If he’s out on the field, then he’s not playing just to play for Cardiff; I think Toby has ambition to play for Wales.”

While the motivation remains clear for Faletau—whose father Kuli played for Tonga at the 1999 World Cup—questions surround his durability. During his time with the Dragons, the forward accumulated heavy minutes for both club and country. However, since moving to Cardiff from Bath in 2022, he has made only 31 appearances.

Managing an older athlete requires a calculated approach to workload. “With the older athlete, you’re not going to ask them to play 80 minutes every week,” Tandy noted, per bbc.co.uk. "You need to have enough evidence that they are going to be fit enough for a World Cup campaign, when you only take a squad of 33." You have to be physically durable to play back-to-back games, which I'm hopeful Toby can do. You have to manage players. Even the boys that are at their prime physically probably can’t back up 80 minutes every week either.”

November Tests and Club Games Determine Squad Spot

Faletau will look to demonstrate his fitness during the upcoming November Tests in Cardiff, where Wales face Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and an opponent yet to be determined on the Nations Championship finals weekend. At the club level, Cardiff host the Sharks at the Arms Park on Friday in the United Rugby Championship before concluding the opening block of the season away against the Ospreys.

Securing a spot in the upcoming international squad will depend entirely on how safely and effectively those minutes are managed through the domestic calendar ahead of the tournament in Australia.

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