Scarlets director of rugby Nigel Davies believes wing Macs Page will earn his first Wales cap "sooner rather than later" following his late call-up to the national squad for the upcoming Nations Championship fixtures.
The 21-year-old, who made his Scarlets debut in 2024, has scored five tries in the early stages of the 2026-27 season and was summoned to replace injured Dragons wing Rio Dyer. Page, a product of Crymych RFC and Dinas Cross, previously toured Japan with Wales in 2025 and could make his debut against the Cherry Blossoms on 7 November, provided he recovers from a head injury sustained in Scarlets' 52-40 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.
Injury Update and Coach Confidence
Davies described the knock as "nasty" but not as serious as it appeared when Page left the field with oxygen assistance. The player returned to light training before travelling to join the Wales camp. "Macs did have a nasty knock, but it wasn't as bad as it looked when he left the pitch with two guys holding his neck," Davies said. "That was just protocol which had to happen. He has been managed very well. He did a bit of light training before he left, and he was feeling fine."
Selection Dilemmas and Opportunities
Wales head coach Steve Tandy now has a wealth of back-three options, with Page joining Scarlets teammates Blair Murray and Ellis Mee alongside Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Josh Adams and Gabriel Hamer-Webb. Eight Wales players will miss Scarlets' United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, a situation Davies views positively as it creates opportunities for developing players.
"I tell our coaches all the time that our job is to perform, to win games and develop Welsh international rugby players," said Davies, a former Wales coach himself. "When you have seven or eight players going into the Wales camp, it has an effect. It gives opportunities to the other guys, and the way everybody responded last week was pretty much fantastic."
Teenage Fly-Half Steps Up
With Sam Costelow also in the Wales squad, 18-year-old Carwyn Leggatt-Jones will start a second consecutive match at fly-half against the Bulls. The Wales under-20 international converted five times in his first start against the Stormers. Davies praised the teenager's composure: "Carwyn is great. I haven't seen a 10 come through like him in a few years. He's very confident in his own ability, which is brilliant. He doesn't carry much anxiety and has a lot of belief in himself, which you need to have in his position."
