Steve Tandy has already succeeded where Warren Gatland failed

Two years after Wales missed out on Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, they have managed to keep hold of Kane James

It takes just over a couple of hours to travel the 120 miles down the M4 and M5 from the Vale of Glamorgan resort to Exeter.

Better yet, in this day and age, you can merely pick up the phone and get hold of someone in Devon in a matter of seconds. The days of carrier pigeons are long gone.

This week was a reminder that 120 miles in the car – or a few minutes on the phone – isn’t the insurmountable barrier that it might seem.

Two years apart, two players – both born in Wales and based in Exeter – have been chosen by a Test nation.

Only now, at the second time of asking, has the bounce gone Wales’ way.

Already, Kane James’ call-up to Steve Tandy’s summer squad has been framed as Wales getting in ahead of England to tie down the back-row.

That can risk doing the 21-year-old a disservice. He was, let’s not forget, pulling up trees for Exeter prior to an injury in January.

It’s also a little reductive around James’ circumstances.

While he played age-grade rugby for England, there’s always been a confidence within the Welsh Rugby Union that the Haverfordwest-born James would choose to play for the country of his birth.

Even on the night when James started for England U20s against Wales at the Arms Park last year, some within the WRU were fairly relaxed about the fact that one day he’d wear red rather than white.

However, that has never drifted into complacency.

Tandy has spoken to the player directly, staying in contact with James about his desire to play for Wales.

As such, sources were confident James was committed to the cause – even if there was a last-minute attempt by England to convince him otherwise.

And that is understood to have happened, with Steve Borthwick believed to have spoken to James.

Borthwick had greater success with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso two years prior.

The England coach spoke regularly to the Cardiff-born wing ahead of calling him up in 2024.

As for Wales? Well, Warren Gatland never spoke to Feyi-Waboso, although he did say after the fact in a rather pointed newspaper column that he would have considered calling him up – taking a few jabs at the Exeter wing’s choice in the process.

Instead, he got defence coach Mike Forshaw to speak to Feyi-Waboso.

Now, Feyi-Waboso’s situation is perhaps a little more complex than James’.

The 25-cap rule was understood to be a sticking point, given he was concerned about committing to Wales and having to come back before he had finished his studies at Exeter University.

His long-term goal of being a doctor had been disrupted a little. Having failed to get into Cardiff University despite achieving the required grades, he then started studying at Aston University before Wasps went to the wall.

As such, he had to start from scratch in Devon.

Let’s not pretend playing for England and Exeter doesn’t probably come with a greater financial reward, either.

But, even beyond those reasons, why Feyi-Waboso felt like such a rough kick in the solar plexus was because, a little like James, it felt like a formality – right up until it wasn’t.

The university reason will often be looked at, as will the 25-cap rule. Ultimately, a player who had once spoken about his desire to play for Wales chose England.

Two years on, it would be daft to question his decision or indeed his commitment to England. There’s a sense that some in Welsh rugby underestimated the strength of his English family ties.

So maybe nothing would have changed his mind.

But if we’re being honest, it’s hard to say Gatland really tried.

Even if James was a different case, Tandy, we can safely say, did.

There’s been plenty of talk about what Tandy has done different to Gatland. Getting around the professional clubs, watching more games, alignment camps.

Those are all good. But perhaps this was the first difference with a tangible outcome.

Every case is unique. But it’s little surprise that Tandy got his man.

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