Wales head coach Steve Tandy has stated that there is a huge reliance on scrum-half Tomos Williams as the team prepares for Saturday's match against New Zealand on 14 November at 14:10 GMT at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Williams has started 12 of the 13 test matches in the Tandy era, with the only one he did not start being the 73-0 defeat by South Africa in November 2025. That match was played outside the World Rugby international window, meaning players from English clubs were not eligible to play. In the 12 international matches he has started, Tandy has used a replacement scrum-half for only 48 minutes, an average of four minutes per match. Williams has played the full 80 minutes five times, and his average minutes per test match is 74.3, including two yellow cards he received.
Players selected as cover for Williams have played a combined total of only 30 minutes in the last nine test matches in 2026. Williams started all those matches and finished four of them. Tandy stated that most teams are dependent on big players and that Tomos loves to play.
"When one of the best players, a British and Irish Lion, is in that position, there is probably too much demand on Tomos," said Tandy. "Tomos loves playing rugby if you look at gaining rhythm. At Saracens there is probably a rotation policy. Some guys like to be in rhythm, while some can cope with a rotation policy. Williams is currently in excellent form."
Williams missed one test in the Tandy era. On that occasion, Kieran Hardy started and played 49 minutes, while Reuben Morgan-Williams came on for the final 31 minutes. Hardy suffered a serious knee injury in September which could rule him out of the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Morgan-Williams and Che Hope, Dragons scrum-halves without caps, are the second scrum-halves in the autumn squad.
"Reuben is doing well. Che is an exciting young talent. We just need to make sure we manage that correctly. There is no substitute for test rugby," Tandy said. "Potentially putting Che to start against New Zealand is something we are considering as coaches. We know we need to develop that space."
