Wales Embark on Nations Championship Tour
Wales previously toured Argentina in 2018 and South Africa in 2022. Their Nations Championship travelling campaign will commence within the next 24 hours as they prepare to depart for matches against Argentina and South Africa.
Steve Tandy's squad started World Rugby's new tournament with a strong six-try 39-24 victory over Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium. Encouraged by consecutive Test wins for the first time since 2023, Wales are set to travel over 12,000 miles in the coming weeks to challenge both the Pumas and the Springboks.
The 33-man squad will initially undertake a journey of more than 7,000 miles and 17 hours to Buenos Aires, where they will spend the majority of the week preparing for their encounter with Argentina. Following this, there will be a shorter flight to San Juan for the match next Saturday against Felipe Contepomi's team, who began the tournament with a 38-47 home defeat to Scotland.
Subsequently, Wales will face a 5,300-mile trip to Durban, crossing five time zones to play the reigning world champions South Africa on 18 July. The Springboks opened the Nations Championship with a commanding 45-21 victory over England.
Coach Tandy on Challenges and Preparation
Regarding logistical challenges, Wales head coach Steve Tandy emphasized that there will be no excuses from his squad.
"We're going to face two unbelievable tests with limited training but it's going to be a unique test for us," said Tandy. "We'll probably have one session in Argentina together because there'll be separate flights over there. Then in South Africa, we might get two in but it's something that we're looking at."
Wales have selected a 33-strong travelling squad. Given the demanding schedule, there may be selection changes with many players expected to receive game time.
"We're getting more competitive so there are certain positions we can probably manage things because they are physical," Tandy added.
Following the victory against Fiji, pressure on Wales has eased, but Tandy stated that the squad will not dwell on past events.
"This Test match rugby is tough," said Tandy. "We're going to savour the win, but we will not be getting carried away with anything or looking on the outside."
Argentina, having suffered a defeat in a 12-try thriller against Scotland, will be motivated to rebound. Wales, however, will recall the 52-28 loss inflicted by the Pumas in Tandy's first game as head coach in November 2025.
Touring Experience Seen as Beneficial
Tandy expressed his belief that the touring experience will be advantageous for Wales.
"I've always loved tours, whether it's with Scotland, British and Irish Lions, whatever it is," said Tandy, who joined Wales after a tenure with Scotland. "You get to know people better on a deeper level because there are probably no other distractions, everyone's there. You learn more and also, going to different countries, they see different cultures. It'll be colder in Argentina, where we're going, so that adaptation, getting used to travelling."
He also highlighted the importance of this tour as preparation for the upcoming World Cup in Australia.
"The World Cup will involve a lot of travelling," said Tandy. "These sort of tours bond you tighter than before and you learn more about each other. It'll be good for our coaches and some of the boys who haven't been in for a long period of time to get to understand people on a deeper level."
