With the latest Nations Championship fixtures set to begin next weekend, 24 Welsh players are now unavailable for round five of the United Rugby Championship (URC).

This is because Steve Tandy’s Welsh-based regional players have assembled at their training base as they prepare for their opening Test match against Japan at Principality Stadium on November 7.

After facing Eddie Jones’s side, they'll host New Zealand seven days later, then finish in the Welsh capital against Australia, before heading to Allianz Stadium for their final 2026 fixture.

However, this weekend, Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets are without their Wales internationals ahead of a tough weekend of fixtures before a month-long break in November.

Cardiff, who suffered their first defeat at Cardiff Arms Park last Friday to the Sharks, 36-21, will be missing seven players as they visit the newly revamped St Helen’s to face the Ospreys.

Rhys Barratt, Liam Belcher, Teddy Williams, James Botham, Alex Mann, Taine Basham, and Josh Adams will miss the fixture, while Gareth Thomas, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Dan Edwards, and Tom Rogers are out of contention for Mark Jones’s Ospreys side.

The Scarlets delivered an eye-catching performance in Cape Town against the Stormers before falling 52-40. But they will go without seven Wales internationals on their trip to Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, to face the Vodacom Bulls.

Ryan Elias, Taine Plumtree, Sam Costelow, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Ellis Mee, and Blair Murray are out. Notably, Hawkins and Plumtree were the only two who faced the Stormers.

For Filo Tiatia’s bruised Dragons side, they face Zebre Parma at Rodney Parade in a massive contest for the Gwent side.

However, they go into the encounter against the league’s basement dwellers without Dillon Lewis, Ben Carter, Seb Davies, Che Hope, Aneurin Owen, and Rio Dyer.

Despite the positives of selecting so many internationals, this continues to raise questions about the rulings, with English-based players likely to feature in this weekend’s Gallagher PREM fixtures.

A complete nightmare for Steve Tandy

As Wales prepare for a tricky Test window, a familiar frustration simmers behind the scenes. It’s a nightmare for head coach Tandy, as some of the nation’s top players can't train with the squad.

It’s a real hindrance for Wales and highlights the fundamental challenges Welsh rugby faces in the modern era.

Looking back at the summer squad selection, 14 of Tandy’s 46-player extended squad who play outside of Wales weren’t available.

Tandy knows the challenge, “you get used to (not having players available)”, he said prior to the fixture against the Barbarians.

“Every campaign is different, whether it's autumn, summer or Six Nations. We can always think about what we’d like it to be, but ultimately it isn't.

“You learn from experiences. It's a good opportunity for us to connect up and share information. We've been speaking to all these players relatively regularly.

“It is what it is. It’s up to us coaches to make it as simple and refined as possible for players when they come in, so they can be the best version of themselves.”

Wales Nations Championship Squad 

Forwards (22)

Rhys Barratt (Cardiff Rugby – uncapped)

Taine Basham (Cardiff Rugby – 17 caps)

Adam Beard (Montpellier – 68 caps)

Liam Belcher (Cardiff Rugby – 5 caps)

James Botham (Cardiff Rugby – 24 caps)

Rhys Carre (Saracens – 31 caps)

Ben Carter (Dragons – 21 caps)

Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 51 caps)

Seb Davies (Dragons – 17 caps)

Tomas Francis (Sale Sharks – 82 caps)

Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby – 16 caps)

Kane James (Exeter Chiefs – 1 cap)

Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs – 31 caps)

Dewi Lake (Gloucester Rugby – 34 caps) Captain

Dillon Lewis (Dragons – 60 caps)

Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby – 18 caps)

Jac Morgan (Gloucester Rugby – 27 caps)

Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 15 caps)

Nicky Smith (Sale Sharks – 66 caps)

Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 44 caps)

Aaron Wainwright (Leicester Tigers – 70 caps)

Teddy Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 10 caps)

Backs (17)

Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 72 caps)

Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 22 caps)

Rio Dyer (Dragons – 24 caps)

Dan Edwards (Ospreys – 13 caps)

Gabriel Hamer-Webb (Leicester Tigers – 1 cap)

Joe Hawkins (Scarlets – 13 caps)

Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby – 1 cap)

Che Hope (Dragons – uncapped)

Eddie James (Scarlets – 11 caps)

Max Llewellyn (Gloucester Rugby – 13 caps)

Ellis Mee (Scarlets – 11 caps)

Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys – 3 caps)

Blair Murray (Scarlets – 19 caps)

Aneurin Owen (Dragons – uncapped)

Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears – 43 caps)

Tom Rogers (Ospreys – 13 caps)

Tomos Williams (Saracens – 75 caps)