Wales are relying on scrum-half Tomos Williams ahead of New Zealand Test
Wales head coach Steve Tandy says his side are relying heavily on scrum-half Tomos Williams as they prepare to face New Zealand in Cardiff on Saturday, 14 November (14:10 GMT). Williams played the full 80 minutes in Wales' 28-21 victory over Japan, with Reuben Morgan-Williams an unused replacement.
Williams moved from Gloucester to Saracens for the start of the 2025-26 season and has started 12 of the 13 Test matches in the Tandy era, completing five of those starts. The only match he did not start under Tandy was the 73-0 defeat by South Africa in November 2025, a fixture that fell outside World Rugby's international window when England-based club players were not eligible.
"It is a big balance to strike," said Tandy as he prepared his side to face New Zealand in Cardiff on Saturday. "When one of your best players, a British and Irish Lion, is in that position, there probably is an over-demand on Tomos." In the 12 internationals Williams has started, Tandy has used the replacement scrum-half for just 48 minutes in total, an average of four minutes per game.
Williams has played the full 80 minutes on five occasions and his average playing time per Test under Tandy is 74.3 minutes, a figure that includes two yellow cards he has received. The players chosen as bench cover for Williams have played a combined total of only 30 minutes in the past nine Tests in 2026, during which Williams started all the games and completed four of them.
"There is a massive reliance on Tomos, you can't run away from that," said Tandy. "Most teams are reliant on big players and Tomos loves playing. If you look at getting a rhythm, Tomos loves playing rugby. "Being taken off, not that it is an issue, but at Saracens, it's probably more of a rotation policy. "Some boys like being in the groove, while some can handle that rotation policy. But at the minute, he's in a great space."
Kieran Hardy had been Williams' under-utilised deputy until he picked up a serious knee injury in October that could rule him out of the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Morgan-Williams and uncapped Dragons scrum-half Che Hope are the other scrum-halves in the autumn squad.
"Reuben is doing well and Che is an exciting young talent," said Tandy. "It's just making sure we feel we manage that bit correctly so we are doing it right for that person, as well as Tomos. "There is no substitute for Test rugby, but you've also got to do right by them, with who you're playing against. "So potentially putting Che in to start against New Zealand, those are the things we, as coaches, take into consideration. We know we need to grow that space."
Williams has missed one Test in the Tandy era; on that occasion Hardy started and played 49 minutes, with Morgan-Williams replacing him for the final 31 minutes. Wales face New Zealand in Cardiff on Saturday, 14 November (14:10 GMT), with live coverage on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 5Live.