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Jonathan Davies to captain Wales squad with five uncapped players
By Sam Smith
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has picked Jonathan Davies as his captain this summer in a 34-man squad which contains five uncapped players.
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Wales face three home games against Canada and Argentina this July and Pivac has selected a squad that features experience as well as youth as he continues his preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The 94-cap Davies was one of the surprise omissions from Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad this summer, but will instead lead a squad that includes three uncapped players in the pack, Dragons duo Ben Carter and Taine Basham, and Ospreys’ Gareth Thomas. Cardiff’s Ben Thomas and Scarlets’ Tom Rogers are the two uncapped players in the back line.
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Back-row Basham (21) has featured in Pivac’s training squads previously, while prop Gareth Thomas (27) has represented Wales under-20, as have second-row Carter (20) and centre Ben Thomas (22). Rogers (22) has also represented Wales on the sevens circuit.
“We are really looking forward to this summer, getting to work with this squad and the three home tests that we will face,” said Pivac.
“It is great that we are able to select five uncapped players in the squad. It is an opportunity, much like the autumn campaign last year, to get these players into the environment and to expose them to test match preparation and in some cases test match rugby.
“This summer isn’t just about the uncapped players it is also about internationals gaining more experience. It is a chance for them to get more starts and appearances under their belt and to step into leadership roles so it is going to be an important period for us.
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“We will have a training camp in North Wales before returning to Cardiff for our three tests so it is a great block of time we have together.
“Whilst the Six Nations success is still fresh in many people’s memories it is important we continue to build both depth and our game as we continue to the RWC 2023.”
FORWARDS (19):
Rhodri Jones (Ospreys) (20 Caps)
Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (39 Caps)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys) (*Uncapped)
Elliot Dee (Dragons) (37 Caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets) (17 Caps)
Sam Parry (Ospreys) (4 Caps)
Leon Brown (Dragons) (17 Caps)
Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (57 Caps)
Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby) (28 Caps)
Adam Beard (Ospreys) (25 Caps)
Ben Carter (Dragons) (*Uncapped)
Cory Hill (Cardiff Rugby) (32 Caps)
Will Rowlands (Wasps) (7 Caps)
Taine Basham (Dragons) (*Uncapped)
James Botham (Cardiff Rugby) (6 Caps)
Ross Moriarty (Dragons) (45 Caps)
Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby) (28 Caps)
Josh Turnbull (Cardiff Rugby) (10 Caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (29 Caps)
BACKS (15):
Kieran Hardy (Scarlets) (4 Caps)
Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby) (22 Caps)
Rhodri Williams (Dragons) (3 Caps)
Callum Sheedy (Bristol Bears) (9 Caps)
Jarrod Evans (Cardiff Rugby) (6 Caps)
Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (88 Caps) (CAPT)
Willis Halaholo (Cardiff Rugby) (4 Caps)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens) (10 Caps)
Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby) (*Uncapped)
Hallam Amos (Cardiff Rugby) (23 Caps)
Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (95 Caps)
Jonah Holmes (Dragons) (5 Caps)
Owen Lane (Cardiff Rugby) (2 Caps)
Ioan Lloyd (Bristol Bears) (2 Caps)
Tom Rogers (Scarlets) (*Uncapped)
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