Wales head coach Steve Tandy is clear: this might be the Barbarians, but for Wales it’s no exhibition.

“The value is another game for us playing together,” Tandy said following his squad announcement that includes four uncapped players but an experienced starting XV.

“It’s great preparation. We know the Barbarians, there’ll be a lot of demand, there’ll be a lot of things that’ll be unexpected, so it’s great to get that hit-out leading into three big test matches.”

For a squad still knitting itself together after a successful end to the Six Nations, Tandy sees Saturday as a chance to rediscover – and then accelerate – their identity.

“We haven’t played together since the Italy game,” he said.

“So how quickly can we find that edge again? How quickly can we find where we were and hopefully adapt a few things in our game. For us, we’re treating it like a test match.

“The training week has been no different in the mindset or the intensity.”

If anyone needed a reminder of the risks of drifting through a Baa-Baas fixture, Tandy doesn’t. The names on the invitational side are warning enough.

With the likes of Faf de Klerk, Virimi Vakatawa, and Andrew Kellaway in the backline, they pose a danger to Wales.

“You see some of the players listed in the Barbarians – even if you’re slightly off, you’re going to get punished on both sides of the ball,” he added.

“So, for us, it’s been a real focus on trying to get back up to speed really quickly and accelerating on.”

That theme of speed runs through everything Tandy says, having had to catch up halfway through a World Cup cycle.

“We’ve always got to try and move faster than other nations to try and catch up,” he explained.

“All the more competition we create, the better it is for Wales going forward.

“We want competitive, we want a competitive group, we want competitive selections. That position is something we’ve probably got a little bit of depth in, so it’s exciting.”

Tandy is particularly animated about the leadership core around captaincy candidates and senior backs. With Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan a natural 1-2 for the captaincy, he stresses that Wales are building a nice core of senior players under his tutelage.

“It’s not just about one guy, it’s about the other leaders,” he says. “Josh Adams, Tommy [Tomos Williams], Joe Hawkins stepping up. We’ve got some amazing leaders there that all support each other.

“When I looked at Jac coming back in, Dewi’s done an outstanding job in Jac’s absence, and the way he’s developed the links with the referees, the way he’s grown in that role, I thought it was right for the summer period that Dewi continued to do that.

“I had conversations with Jac and it tells me everything about the character he is. He’s delighted to be back in the squad, he’s a class man, and he’ll be right there alongside Dewi every week.”

There is similar enthusiasm when he talks about Teddy Williams’ return and the newer forwards pushing through.

“Loads of energy,” Tandy says of the Cardiff man, whose season has been blighted by injury.

“There’ll probably be a few nerves with him just coming back, but the energy you see, the flexibility he has – he’s a real smart guy as well. It’s been awesome to have him back in, and we’re all excited.

“Rhys Barratt has been excellent for Cardiff. Ben Warren has shown lots. The week’s training has been excellent, and they all deserve the opportunity.”

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