Steve Tandy: New Wales coach prepares to name first team

Tandy returned to Wales after leaving the Ospreys in 2018 at the end of a six-year spell as head coach in the Wales region.

He took up the position of defense coach with the Waratahs in Sydney before moving to Scotland in 2019.

Tandy also spent the summer with the British and Irish Lions in 2021 as part of Warren Gatland’s backroom staff.

In July, Tandy chose to return home to Wales and has already met some familiar faces in his new role, such as his former Ospreys team-mate and current Dragons boss Filo Tiatia.

“I can only compliment Tandy, he’s a lovely man,” said Tiatia, who played with the 45-year-old for five years.

“He is a very classy coach, very caring, but also very demanding when he needs to be.

“He can only be good for Wales and I wish him all the best with all the success. He’s had four tough Tests, and they’ll need support.”

Titia believes Tandy’s decision to move to develop his coaching skills will stand him in good stead.

“He is a great learner,” Tiatia added. “He’s done a lot in a short space of time. He wants to keep improving but also improve the people around him.

“If you look at Steve’s journey as an Ospreys coach, he went away, there was an opportunity in Australia and he took himself out of his comfort zone.

“He moved to Scotland and accepted the challenge there as well, where he did a fantastic job as a defense coach.”