Macs Page was a surprise omission from the Wales squad but rumours he is Irish-qualified and could switch allegiances are wide of the mark

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises from Wales' autumn squad on Tuesday was the absence of Scarlets wing Macs Page.

The 21-year-old has been in fine form out west, scoring four tries in as many matches this season. It's a start to the campaign that has surprised no one at Parc y Scarlets.

Speak to anyone at the start of the season and they were expecting big things from Page.

Having stepped up from the Welsh Premiership, where he scored tries for fun with Llandovery, Page's first year with the Scarlets resulted in a Wales call-up for the 2025 tour of Japan.

Ultimately, a senior cap eluded Page, but that seemed just a matter of time.

A difficult second season as the Scarlets struggled knocked him back a bit.

But, heading into this year, all the talk was about Page being ready to get back to his best.

And, in the opening weeks, he certainly has done that.

Beyond those four tries, Page had consistently proven a handful for defences - setting up team-mates and helping the Scarlets to back-to-back victories in the last two weeks with some moments of inspiration.

All that had led many to believe a second Wales call-up was coming his way this week.

In the end, that didn't materialise. But, being Welsh rugby, panic was never too far away.

Already, on social media, some were concerned that, following reports that Page was Irish-qualified amid links to Munster, he could soon be lost to Tandy.

However, WalesOnline understands that reports of Page being Irish-qualified are completely wide of the mark. So mark that down to online bluster and nothing more.

Moreover, Tandy had been in contact with Page ahead of this squad announcement - suggesting he is on the national team's radar.

In the end, Rio Dyer and Gabriel Hamer-Webb - two other wings not exactly out of form either - were given the nod.

While Page remains uncapped, Dyer has a decent amount of experience at Test level, having broken through ahead of the 2023 World Cup. There could be a school of thought that, now recalled, he could build himself to a decent level of caps ahead of the next tournament in Australia.

However, that wasn't the reason behind his inclusion in the squad.

"That's probably that's not why you'd make that decision," said Tandy on Tuesday. "It's on performance.

"Obviously there'll be parts on potential, but ultimately it's performance-based in in what we're looking for.

"And it's linking to what we want in our game as well. So (you're not ruled out) if you have zero caps, like Che (Hope), as we've brought him in.

"I know it might be something else where maybe the depth is slightly different, but for us, it'll mostly be about performance."

Tandy admitted on Tuesday he sees Page as a wing, rather than a centre. So too, on the basis of this season, do his club.

Maybe, moving forward, some close to him say he could be better as an outside centre.

But, as a wing, he's in the mix for Wales.

It didn't happen this time. But there's still time.

You won't find Page pulling on the green jersey of Ireland any time soon.