The 21-year-old fly-half was a commanding deputy whilst Biggar was on RBS Six Nations duty last season. He made 17 PRO12 appearances last term, starting eight games and kicking 130 points. The former IRB Junior player of the Year will get another shot at the number 10 spot, with Biggar potentially absent for the first eight rounds of competition.
And Tandy reckons Sam is the man to marshall the Ospreys’ backline, he said: “We have every confidence Sam will do a good job during the World Cup period. He was outstanding last term when Dan was away. He showed real maturity and a nice mix to his game and he and Tom Habberfield were excellent in the match with Munster in March.
“For me, that opening 40 minutes that day was one of the big pluses of the campaign. It was such a young group, coming off the back of a draw against Leinster and defeats by Glasgow and Edinburgh, and we saw real development.
“Sam still has plenty to learn — he is only young — but he is a player with a big future and we are looking to him to step up to the plate during Dan’s absence. I know he won’t be found wanting.”
Another early season absentee will be Dan Lydiate, who sealed a move back to Wales after a stint playing for Racing 92 in France. And the blindside flanker has impressed Tandy since his return home.
“Dan has been great,” said the Ospreys head coach. “He impressed me from the outset by saying he still wanted to grow as a player. Here you had someone who had been Six Nations player of the year and played in a Test series victory for the Lions, but he still felt there was scope for him to get better.”
