Tandy pleased Wales pay dispute over before Fiji opener

July 3, 2026 No Comments

Tandy pleased player dispute over before Fiji openerImage source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Wales head coach Steve Tandy is in his third campaign in chargeByGareth GriffithsBBC Sport WalesPublished2 July 2026, 12:49 BSTHead coach Steve Tandy insists there will be no hangover from the just in pay dispute between Wales players and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).Preparations for the Nations Championship have been disrupted by an issue for the squad with the WRU about match fees, that was resolved just three days before the Nations Championship opening fixture against Fiji on Saturday.

Talks were held between Welsh rugby’s governing body and the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA), including Wales’ senior players, over “employment terms” with an agreement reached late on Wednesday afternoon.

Wales were due to have a press conference on Wednesday but the playing squad opted not to fulfil that appointment because of the dispute.

Tandy, who was not involved in discussions, stated no training sessions had been missed.

“In fairness, the players have been brilliant,” reported Tandy.

“I’m grateful it is resolved and there’s no hangover from it.

“The preparation hasn’t been interrupted in terms of our training and how we’ve gone about it. We can get focused on the Fiji game.”

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Was players strike a possibility?

When asked whether there was the prospect of a strike and the Fiji match not being played, Tandy replied: “I just talk to the boys, it’s just about support.

“Lots of the negotiations, I’m not aware of.

“And the only thing that’s come out for me is that it’s been resolved, there’s been training as normal, the timings of the week have been great.

“The way the boys have been on the field and in the meetings has been impeccable.”

Tandy praised the senior players in how they had conducted themselves.

“People have gone through experiences, and nothing’s perfect,” added Tandy.

“It’s how you deal with those things. There’s a group there that are connected, tight to each other, and I believe as a coaching staff as well we’re connected with them.

“They’re resilient and there’s lots of stuff that goes on. We will get there at some point where there’ll be a campaign where we just talk totally about rugby.”

Former Wales player and current WRU board member Jamie Roberts says this should not be happening so close to an international and must not be repeated.

“The frustrating thing for one reason or another, this has dragged into a Test week and it should not happen,” Roberts told Scrum V podcast.

“These things should be put to bed weeks before a Test match. As a player you want to concentrate on preparing for Test matches.

“It is the privilege of a lifetime to play for Wales and the last thing you need is that hanging over your head the week of an international. Hopefully moving forward it does not happen again.”

Basic match fees for players are believed to have been retained around £9,000 each game to tie in with what they received during the Six Nations.

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Analysis

In February 2023, then Wales captain Ken Owens stood at the training base of the national team and stated Welsh rugby was a laughing stock and must not return to such days.

The scenario then was a much-wider pay dispute with the WRU, with players threatening to strike for the Six Nations game against England in Cardiff.

That situation was averted when a deal was struck before Owens and former director of rugby Nigel Walker infamously addressed the media in the gathering gloom.

Fast forward three and a half years and this most recent dispute was not nearly as dramatic and has also been resolved.

But you wonder if any lessons have been heeded as the issue was again sorted out just 72 hours before Wales were due to be running out in Cardiff, when the majority of this squad have been training together for a month.

The WRU again decided not to put up a senior figure like chief executive Abi Tierney or director of rugby Dave Reddin to discuss the issue. The governing body insist it was resolved and had been addressed in a statement.

This is Tandy’s third campaign in charge and it is the third occasion he has been left to field questions about off-the-field matters.

He was previously forced to address matters such as regions being cut and fears about players’ jobs.

The chaotic nature of Welsh rugby has again reared its head this week. Some would argue the chaos has never gone away.

The WRU had already missed a deadline this week in outlining a plan to reduce the amount of professional sides from four to three – something that was promised by the end of June.

The governing body is set to be without a permanent chair for the next few months as they look to replace Richard Collier-Keywood, already having an interim Professional Rugby Board (PRB) chair following the departure of Malcolm Wall.

The WRU will hope this controversy will not further alienate the weary Welsh rugby public.

Both national sides played in front of a pitiful crowd against the Barbarians last weekend at the 82,000 seater Allianz Stadium in south-west London.

No attendance was given but it could not have been much more than 15,000 with two of the three Twickenham tiers closed.

We await to see whether it will be a full house at the 33,000-capacity Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday against Fiji. If not, that alone would be an indictment on the state of Welsh rugby.

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