Steve Tandy has reshuffled his pack for the visit of the All Blacks after leaving his players in no doubt the performance against Japan was not good enough

There was a strong argument for Steve Tandy sticking with the same starting XV, injuries permitting, for Saturday’s clash with New Zealand.

Under the previous coaching regime, the players would have been given another opportunity to put things right after scraping past Japan in such unconvincing fashion.

But sources within the squad say Tandy has shown some teeth in training this week and was deeply unhappy with the manner of last week’s performance.

Certain players are now paying the price.

The majority of the changes come in the pack, and it is not difficult to understand why.

Wales somehow came through their encounter with Japan despite having just 38% possession and 40% territory. They were forced to make 227 tackles, almost twice as many as their opponents, who made 115.

They got away with it against Japan, but there is little room for doubt that if those statistics are repeated against the All Blacks on Saturday, Wales will be slaughtered.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the inclusion of veteran lock Adam Beard in place of Ben Carter.

Beard was once an automatic selection in the starting XV but lost his place following a poor performance against France last season, with Carter impressing in his absence.

Carter is also responsible for calling the lineout and, while he cannot shoulder all the blame, a success rate of just 69% against Japan was simply not good enough at this level.

Beard, who has 68 caps, brings enormous experience and is an outstanding set-piece operator. It is clear that Tandy sees those qualities as particularly important for the challenge ahead.

With Tomas Francis ruled out through injury, Wales are also without their strongest scrummaging tighthead.

Archie Griffin and Dillon Lewis do not offer quite the same power in the set-piece as the Sale Sharks man, although both bring considerably more around the field. Beard’s inclusion may therefore be partly designed to compensate for that loss of scrummaging strength.

But there are questions about what he offers elsewhere. Alongside Dafydd Jenkins, Wales will have two reliable, workmanlike locks who can deliver at the set-piece, but the pairing lacks the carrying threat needed to make a real impact around the field.

The All Blacks have powerful, athletic forwards with the explosive speed to make significant metres after contact. They are also comfortable handling the ball and causing problems in the wider channels.

Wales simply do not have the same level of athleticism or ball-playing ability among their forwards, and that is a significant concern heading into Saturday.

But the Wales backrow is an exciting one, even in the absence of the influential Aaron Wainwright who is injured.

Taine Basham was been nothing short of outstanding for Cardiff over the past year.

He is a powerful, dynamic carrier who can bring a physical edge to Wales’ back row and give them a point of difference in attack.

When playing for Cardiff he regularly featuring among the leading performers for tackles, carries and turnovers. His discipline, too, has improved considerably.

Perhaps most importantly, Basham remains a player capable of producing something out of nothing.

He has a natural instinct for the big moment, bringing an attacking threat and unpredictability that can change the course of a game.

That ability to inject pace and power into an attack, break tackles and shift momentum is precisely what Wales have been missing.

Test rugby is a huge step up but if he can replicate his Cardiff form on the international stage then it is an exciting prospect.

Tandy has also brought in James Botham on the blindside flank who offers a more physical presence both in defence and at the breakdown than Alex Mann.

Tandy has prioritised cohesion behind the scrum, resisting calls in some quarters for Dan Edwards to replace Sam Costelow at outside-half.

It is the right call for this particular game, with Edwards more than capable of making an impact from the bench.

But the most eye-catching selection is Gabriel Hamer-Webb ahead of Josh Adams.

Adams did not have a bad game against Japan, scoring two tries, but if he is to feature at next year's Rugby World Cup, both Cardiff and Wales will need to carefully manage his workload.

Hamer-Webb, meanwhile, is an exciting prospect. The Leicester Tigers wing is a powerful, explosive runner with genuine top-end pace and an impressive finishing ability.

The 26-year-old has also demonstrated his strength under the high ball and defensive reliability at club level. The question now is whether he can translate those qualities to the international stage against opposition of the All Blacks' calibre.