Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has confirmed his 38-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations campaign and has decided to include five uncapped players.
Johnny McNicholl has been given another opportunity to impress following his uncapped appearance against the Barbarians last year, while 18-year-old Gloucester winger Louis Rees-Zammit has also been called up.
The only other uncapped back-liner is centre Nick Tompkins, while the two other players in line for their debuts are prop WillGriff John and lock Will Rowlands.
Elsewhere Taulupe Faletau is in line to make his first appearance in the competition since 2018 following injuries during last year’s tournament, while Rhys Webb has been selected as one of three scrum-half options and could make his first appearance in red since 2017 following a move to Toulon, while Owen Williams could have his first piece of action since the same time.
Meanwhile, Alun Wyn Jones continues as captain and there is the inclusion of Liam Williams, who has been out of action since October after picking up an injury during Wales’ Rugby World Cup campaign.
Speaking on his selection Pivac admitted he is looking forward to getting into the thick of things with his new side.
“We are really excited to be naming our Six Nations squad and kicking the campaign off. A lot of time and effort has gone into selecting the squad, all of the coaches have been out and about, seeing players in training, speaking with them and we are pretty excited with the group we have got. Looking back to the Barbarians week, that was hugely important for us. We got a lot of ‘firsts’ out of the way, getting to meet and get in front of the players and having a game together was hugely beneficial. We do have a couple of injuries but we flip that into seeing it as an opportunity for some new players to impress, with not only the Six Nations in mind but also longer-term and 2023. The Six Nations is hugely exciting for me, it is something I grew up watching from afar and it has such history attached to it, I’m really looking forward to the campaign,” he said.
Wales are looking to defend their Grand Slam from last season in what was Warren Gatland’s final campaign as head coach and get their tournament underway with a clash against Italy.
Check Out the Full 38-Man Squad Below.
Forwards (21):
Rhys Carre (Saracens) (6 Caps)
Rob Evans (Scarlets) (36 Caps)
Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (22 Caps)
Elliot Dee (Dragons) (29 Caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets) (9 Caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) (73 Caps)
Leon Brown (Dragons) (6 Caps)
WillGriff John (Sale) (*uncapped)
Dillon Lewis (Blues) (22 Caps)
Jake Ball (Scarlets) (42 Caps)
Adam Beard (Ospreys) (20 Caps)
Seb Davies (Blues) (7 Caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (134 Caps) (CAPTAIN)
Will Rowlands (Wasps) (*uncapped)
Cory Hill (Dragons) (24 Caps)
Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (18 Caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (72 Caps)
Ross Moriarty (Dragons) (41 Caps)
Josh Navidi (Blues) (23 Caps)
Justin Tipuric (Osprey) (72 Caps)
Backs (17):
Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (51 Caps)
Rhys Webb (Toulon) (31 Caps)
Tomos Williams (Blues) (16 Caps)
Dan Biggar (Northampton) (79 Caps)
Owen Williams (Gloucester) (3 Caps)
Jarrod Evans (Blues) (3 Caps)
Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets) (25 Caps)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens) (*uncapped)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys) (22 Caps)
George North (Ospreys) (91 Caps)
Josh Adams (Blues) (21 Caps)
Owen Lane (Blues) (2 Caps)
Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets) (*uncapped)
Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester) (*uncapped)
Jonah Holmes (Leicester Tigers) (3 Caps)
Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (85 Caps)
Liam Williams (Saracens) (62 Caps)
