Ben Thomas: Wales and Cardiff centre set to miss Nations Championship restart

Whether Faletau proves his fitness remains to be seen after another false start before Cardiff’s 29-5 United Rugby Championship (URC) defeat against Leinster in Dublin last Saturday.

Faletau was named in their starting line-up on Thursday afternoon, although van Zyl admitted the Wales number eight still had a few boxes to tick because of niggles.

Cardiff made the call not to field the 35-year-old for the first time since a shoulder injury suffered at Sharks in March just before kick-off on Saturday.

“He was probably just a little bit uncomfortable in himself and the way he felt about his readiness to play the game,” said van Zyl.

“That’s always what we say about players being honest, and that’s the way I want to approach everything.

“Being honest with each other, and if you’re not ready to go, then say it. That is exactly what happened.

“There are no major concerns in terms of long-term injuries or not being available potentially this week. There are no concerns of that.”

When asked whether he will play in the next couple of weeks, van Zyl replied: “I believe so, 100%.

“That’s definitely the plan. Like I said, it’s nothing new, it’s just whether we get him to a game.”

Whether that is enough for Tandy to consider the three times British and Irish Lions tourist remains to be seen.

Before Wales meet up, Cardiff have two games, with an away trip to play Northampton on Sunday in Europe’s Champions Cup opener before hosting Sharks five days later in the URC.