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North recalled at centre and Sheedy will also start as Wales change 9 of their XV to play Italy

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Wales have named their side to take on Italy in their final Autumn Nations Cup fixture in Llanelli on Saturday, an XV that includes a recall for George North. He is one of nine changes from the loss to England, four of them in the backline.

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Liam Williams starts at full-back in place of Leigh Halfpenny in a back three also containing Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams.

Kieran Hardy and Callum Sheedy start at half-back together for the second time this campaign, with Johnny Williams partnering North in the midfield. North’s last start at centre was Wales’ 42-0 victory over Italy in the Guinness Six Nations last February. Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams and Liam Williams comprise the back three.

Video Spacer

Wayne Pivas faces the media after Wales’ defeat to England

Video Spacer

Wayne Pivas faces the media after Wales’ defeat to England

Nicky Smith, Sam Parry and Tomas Francis comprise an all-change front row, with Parry making his first start for Wales after three appearances from the bench. Will Rowlands partners Alun Wyn Jones in the second row with James Botham lining up alongside British and Irish Lions duo Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau in the back-row.

Saturday is another opportunity for these players and for us as a squad, it is another opportunity to continue to build and to see the results of all the hard work in training,” said head coach Wayne Pivac. “We have blooded eight new caps this campaign and importantly by the end of the match, each of them would have had a number of appearances to their name.

“From the outset we wanted this campaign to be about giving players an opportunity and we have done that.  The hard work in training is coming through and we want to show that again on Saturday and finish the campaign on a high, with the performance and result we want.” 

On the bench Elliot Dee, Wyn Jones and Leon Brown provide the front-row cover. Cory Hill and Aaron Wainwright complete the forward contingent.  Gareth Davies, Ioan Lloyd and Jonah Holmes are named as the backline replacements.

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WALES (vs Italy, Saturday)
1. Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (37 Caps)
2. Sam Parry (Ospreys) (3 Caps)
3. Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (51 Caps)
4. Will Rowlands (Wasps) (4 Caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (142 Caps) (CAPT)
6. James Botham (Cardiff Blues) (2 Caps)
7. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (79 Caps)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (80 Caps)
9. Kieran Hardy (Scarlets) (1 Cap)
10. Callum Sheedy (Bristol Bears) (3 Caps)
11. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester) (3 Caps)
12. Johnny Williams (Scarlets) (2 Caps)
13. George North (Ospreys) (97 Caps)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues) (29 Caps)
15. Liam Williams (Scarlets) (66 Caps)

REPLACEMENTS:
16. Elliot Dee (Dragons) (32 Caps)
17. Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (29 Caps)
18. Leon Brown (Dragons) (11 Caps)
19. Cory Hill (Cardiff Blues) (28 Caps)
20. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (26 Caps)
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (56 Caps)
22. Ioan Lloyd (Bristol Bears) (1 Cap)
23. Jonah Holmes (Dragons) (4 Caps)

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Jonathan Foster 3 hours ago
Scott Lawrence: 'I think the forward pass for the Fiji try was a pivotal moment in the game'

In this match, Fiji’s performance was exceptional, and the statistics reflect that they were the superior team on the day.


For instance:


Possession: Fiji controlled 59% of the possession during the match, while the USA only had 41% (RugbyPass, 2024). This allowed Fiji to apply constant pressure on USA’s defense and create more opportunities for scoring.


Territory: Fiji spent 64% of the match in USA’s half, keeping the Americans under sustained pressure (World Rugby, 2024).


Offensive Play: Fiji made 7 line breaks, compared to USA’s 3. In addition, Fiji completed 12 offloads while USA only managed 5, highlighting Fiji's superior attacking ability and ball handling (World Rugby, 2024).


Scrums and Rucks: Fiji was dominant in the scrums, winning 100% of their own scrums (8 out of 8), whereas USA only won 71% of theirs (5 out of 7).


Additionally, Fiji won 6 turnovers compared to USA’s 2 (ESPN, 2024). This scrummaging and breakdown superiority was a critical factor in controlling the game.


Additionally, while forward passes can be contentious, it’s important to note that USA was also guilty of making 3 forward passes during the match, which resulted in lost opportunities and turnovers (RugbyPass, 2024).


These key errors disrupted momentum and contributed to their inability to maintain a sustained attack.


References

ESPN. (2024). Fiji vs USA match report. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/rugby/match


RugbyPass. (2024). Scott Lawrence on the Fiji match and forward pass controversy. Retrieved from https://www.rugbypass.com/news


World Rugby. (2024). Fiji triumphs over USA in a thrilling encounter. Retrieved from https://www.world.rugby.com

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J
JW 5 hours ago
‘Did Conrad really score that many’: Rieko Ioane dismisses All Blacks drought

Indeed, but I also appreciate how Razor now has him covering the backfield more. Are they conflicting uses? Who was it that covered the Arg game, John(?), no it was a YTer (squidge?) suggested Jordies role was to chase and support the wing for a tap back.


That turnover try was actually a great example of were Jordies boot could have been used for territory instead of attacking (contestable). Hansen talking again about 'learnings' about what part of the field they want to play in. I would have thought that would be a basic principle about how the coaches want to play and it would be a bit late now to be learning that.


Nevrtheless we wait and see. One Barretts carrying though I'd suggest he only has a mandate to bring some physicality, not in how he does it. You can see how out of kilter he gets when he tries to do anything other than a simple cart up and pop. Just look at least week when he had two players on the outside to hit in multiple ways and he just indecisively takes the tackle before giving a poor overhead pop. That he still got the pass away hints at what he is "capable of" but as you saw, with free license, its just far off the mark. I've decided Rieko is my 12 from now on. I'd like Jordie to remain primarly at 12 at the Hurricans, as I feel that's were his best alround game can be kept in good shape, and you never know perhaps he will fill into the position after a while, but I'd like to try other centers essentially. But yes, if Razor/Hansen can get both him and Dmac humming in partnership they could also essentially cover many of the fb roles which aren't Jordans strength. Also obv happy to see Rieko tried on the wing just now I think that's more likely to fail than a Rieko/Proctor midfield.

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