In the world of rugby it is not uncommon to see players represent the countries they live in over the nation of their birth.
With this in mind, Wales boss Steve Tandy has actively pushed for the nation to expand their horizons in terms of recruitment, following the closure of the Welsh Exiles program—which has seen players such as Bath’s Archie Griffin and Gloucester’s Freddie Thomas come through as recent successes.
Recent news has come out with one player at the top of Tandy’s list, and it looks like the change could happen sooner rather than later.
Kiwi lock Tahlor Cahill approached by Welsh club Scarlets
WalesOnline has reported that Welsh club Scarlets are interested in acquiring the services of Crusaders lock Tahlor Cahill, who has slowly become an established name in Super Rugby over the past couple of years.
The 22-year-old has recently begun to play full eighties at club level, having started at both lock positions in Matchweeks 5 and 6 for the Christchurch-based team.
Cahill is a solid passer and a persistent tackler, ranking in the 81st percentile in Super Rugby for tackles completed and boasting a 95% pass accuracy rate for the season.
The Kiwi youngster also has Welsh ancestry, which would make it significantly easier for him to be eligible for Wales down the line.
Tandy spoke on acquiring foreign-born talent for Welsh representation back in December, saying:
“We are looking [at getting more Wales-qualified players]… We have got to connect and we have got to keep asking those questions.
“We’ve got to be finding out about who is Welsh-qualified and more importantly – who wants to play for Wales.
“There are so many boys out there and probably boys that people wouldn’t even realise so that is definitely part of what I’ve been doing… I think that’s a really important piece because as a nation, we are small.
“There are lots of talented players, not only in Wales but outside of it. So that is a massive thing for us.”
