\n<\/p>\n
Crucially, given well-documented off-field uncertainty<\/a>, man management has been a big feature to the start of the Tandy era.<\/p>\n The national coaches are frequent visitors at all four regions and made a point of contacting those who narrowly missed out on selection.<\/p>\n Those who have made the cut frequently talk about “connection”.<\/p>\n “I haven’t really felt it as much as I have coming into this campaign, how tight the boys are, how connected the boys are,” said flanker Josh Macleod,<\/a> who missed the autumn series through injury.<\/p>\n “Man for man we’re ready to stand up for each other and fight. It’s purely down to Steve and his coaching group, the values they’ve set – care and connection being the main ones – and the boys have really bought into that.”<\/p>\n Former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin, who played under Tandy at Ospreys, believes a tight bond gives hope of progress.<\/p>\n “Steve will know how to get the best out of this group,” he told the Scrum V podcast<\/a>. <\/p>\n “He will make these players feel like a million dollars going into the game and believing they can win.<\/p>\n “If Wales can throw the first punch, the pressure is on England. Nobody is expecting Wales to win.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n