The players that staked late claims for Wales spots

Cardiff endured a pointless return to the Champions Cup but there were plenty of positives in a battling display at Northampton.

Among them were the returns of experienced Wales internationals Taulupe Faletau and Josh Adams from injury.

Number eight Faletau was impressive when featuring for just shy of an hour on his first outing since March.

He racked up 65 metres with eight carries in the first half and also produced a telling defensive moment to deny opposite number Callum Chick on the try line.

His final act was to carry hard off the base of a scrum, providing more evidence of his ability to come back from injury and swiftly hit high standards.

Tandy picked Faletau for the 2025 autumn internationals only for the number eight to then suffer a knee injury.

The Wales head coach is blessed with a glut of back-row options but will be hoping Faletau, who he worked with on the Lions' tour to South Africa in 2021, stays fit.

Adams came on for the final quarter in the east Midlands and will profit from a first run out, albeit the wing will be stung at having been reeled in by the covering George Hendy when a try seemed certain.

The 31-year-old had a strong 2026 Six Nations and provides Tandy with an experienced and dependable option in the back three.

Cardiff have upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) games against Sharks at the Arms Park and Ospreys at St Helen's should Wales believe that Faletau and Adams need more minutes before Test consideration.

Dragons showed tenacity in defence before securing a hard-fought win against Perpignan in Newport on Friday.

Filo Tiatia's men have made a strong start to the season but that might not necessarily translate into a bigger contingent in Tandy's squad.

Lock Ben Carter is a shoo-in, tight-head prop Dillon Lewis will hope to pick up where he left off in the summer and in-form hooker Elliot Dee would love to battle Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias for action.

The Perpignan fixture highlighted the qualities of Dragons' grafters with blind-side flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes, who won three caps in 2020, continuing his strong start to the season.

Wales contact coach Dan Lydiate was a guest at Dragons training last week and would have been impressed as Lewis-Hughes put in 27 tackles against the French side's big carriers.

But the forward, like team-mate Harri Keddie, is competing in a position of real depth.

The same applies for wing Rio Dyer, who is yet to score this season but has been lively with ball in hand and impressive in the aerial game.

Dragons' man of the match against Perpignan was Aneurin Owen, so often the side's glue from inside centre.

He carried strongly to go with his distribution skills, while he was strong in defence and came up with two turnovers.

Owen, who turns 26 the day before Tuesday's squad announcement, was a member of the Wales squad under Wayne Pivac in the summer of 2021 but remains uncapped.

There might be an opening at 12 due to Ben Thomas' injury should Tandy look to see if a quality operator at club level can take the next step.

"Aneurin knows I love him," said Dragons boss Filo Tiatia. "He has outstanding leadership and there is lots more to come from him.

"He wants to improve, is coachable and is strong at challenging the coaches."

Wales fly-half Sam Costelow provided a scare by coming off with a hamstring injury at the end of the first half in Scarlets' thumping of Newcastle Red Bulls, with director of rugby Nigel Davies describing it as a precaution.

Ellis Mee demonstrated why he is a definite selection with a player-of-the-match performance and his fellow wing Macs Page marked his 50th appearance for the club with two tries.

"He a good rugby player, he's got a good brain," said Davies of the 21-year-old.

"He can read the picture in front of him and that's his role, to roam and try and create carnage when he's on the ball.

"He came onto the scene with a bang but probably things didn't go his way in the second season. Now we're starting to see the potential he's got."

Wales might have wanted to see more of back-rower Taine Plumtree in his first game back after shoulder surgery but captain Josh Macleod demonstrated his ability again with a series of turnovers.

The flanker has fallen down the Wales pecking order but has been Scarlets' leading forward so far this season.

"Josh had a fantastic game," said Davies. "There were probably four or five turnovers by him and they were big moments in the game."

Scarlets players selected by Wales are unlikely to travel to South Africa on Tuesday for URC matches with Stormers and Bulls because the international squad meet up next Monday.