Steve Tandy keeps Taulupe Faletau World Cup door open despite omission

Taulupe Faletau's omission from the November squad does not end his chances of a fourth World Cup. Wales head coach Steve Tandy said on Tuesday 20 October that the back-rower can still make the 2027 squad and that he will rule nobody out.

Tandy called Faletau a legend of the game and a world-class player. Asked whether the veteran could still force his way in, he was clear.

"I don't see why not. It does not matter what age you are," Tandy said.

Age is the obvious question. Faletau is 35, turns 36 in November and wants to play at the World Cup in Australia in 2027. That would be his fourth. He played at the 2011, 2015 and 2023 tournaments and missed the 2019 edition after breaking his collarbone in the build-up.

Back on the field for Cardiff

Tandy spoke two days after Faletau's first game since March. He came back from injury in Cardiff's Champions Cup defeat by Northampton on Sunday 18 October and played 55 minutes against the English champions.

For all his experience, Faletau has never played a Test under Tandy. The coach picked him in his first squad, but a knee injury and then a calf problem kept him out. His last Wales cap came against Japan in the summer of 2025.

Tandy pointed to the player's appetite. "Toby is competitive. He loves playing for Cardiff and loves playing for Wales, so I can see the drive in him," he said.

What comes next

Faletau's next chance to build on his comeback is close. Cardiff host the Sharks at the Arms Park in the URC on Friday 23 October.

Wales will go on without him for now. Tandy's 39-man squad that left Faletau out plays home matches against Japan, New Zealand and Australia in the northern hemisphere leg of the first Nations Championship. In the southern hemisphere leg, Wales beat Fiji and lost away to Argentina and South Africa. They pick up the campaign against Japan on Saturday 7 November.