Rugby World Cup: Wales name Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake as co-captains for tournament

1 year ago 22

Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake some play for Ospreys

Wales caput manager Warren Gatland has chosen flanker Jac Morgan and hooker Dewi Lake arsenic co-captains for the 2023 World Cup successful France.

They volition pb a 33-man squad that lone includes 2 specializer scrum-halves successful Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies, with Kieran Hardy near out.

The enactment contains injured players Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe.

Wales unfastened their Pool C run against Fiji successful Bordeaux connected 10 September.

There are further radical games against Portugal, Australia and Georgia.

Props Corey Domachowski and Henry Thomas are included having won their archetypal elder caps for Wales during the summertime bid matches this August, portion 20-year-old Exeter fastener Dafydd Jenkins is the youngest subordinate of the squad.

There are 16 players included successful the squad who person not been progressive astatine a World Cup.

The 15 players near retired from the extended 48-man squad are Kieron Assiratti, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Parry, Taine Plumtree, Teddy Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Cai Evans, Kieran Hardy, Max Llewellyn, Joe Roberts, Tom Rogers, Keiran Williams and Owen Williams.

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Wales 33-man squad for World Cup

Forwards: Taine Basham, Adam Beard, Elliot Dee, Corey Domachowski, Ryan Elias, Taulupe Faletau, Tomas Francis, Dafydd Jenkins, Dewi Lake (co-captain), Dillon Lewis, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan (co-captain), Tommy Reffell, Will Rowlands, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Henry Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs: Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Rio Dyer, Mason Grady, Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Liam Williams, Tomos Williams.

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Co-captains, scrum-half surprise

Gatland indicated helium would see the co-captains enactment and the young appointments evoke memories of Sam Warburton being appointed arsenic a 22-year-old for the 2011 World Cup successful New Zealand, erstwhile Gatland masterminded a tally to the semi-finals.

Wales person mislaid the acquisition of erstwhile captains Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Ken Owens to planetary status and injuries.

Morgan captained Wales successful 2 of the 3 warm-up games, the opening triumph against England successful Cardiff and last nonaccomplishment to South Africa, portion hooker Lake led the broadside successful the decision to England astatine Twickenham.

"They are 2 young players who volition complement each different well," said Gatland.

"They are bully mates and person a bully relationship. It's a bully opportunity. It is thing that I person ne'er done before. They person got a large aboriginal up of them."

Wales person lone chosen 2 specializer scrum-halves successful Williams and Davies. The past juncture Wales lone took 2 scrum-halves to a World Cup was 2003, erstwhile helping Shane Williams covered the fig 9 relation arsenic a 3rd option.

It has allowed Gatland to sanction an other backmost with Leigh Halfpenny preparing for his 3rd World Cup alongside George North, who volition go the 5th Wales subordinate to look successful 4 planetary tournaments aft Gareth Thomas, Stephen Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.

"If we bash prime injuries, it is not excessively acold of a region to go," said Gatland.

"We'd had a treatment with the players close from the commencement that the tipping constituent could beryllium we instrumentality 2 nines oregon 3 10s. There was nary certainty astir anyone being selected successful the squad.

"There is perchance a constituent determination wherever you person got to marque a concession and look astatine a spot of depth.

"Probably each on we were reasoning of 3 nines, and we were conscionable looking astatine immoderate extent successful our backmost three, and covering players that are getting connected a small spot and whether they tin backmost up successful each the games.

"We conscionable wanted a spot much screen successful that backmost three."

Gatland indicated if 1 of the scrum-halves was injured successful the warm-up of a crippled past Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow could enactment arsenic fig 9 cover.

"If we bash person a caput wounded appraisal (HIA) and someone's retired past we are going to person to perchance marque a telephone connected whether we telephone idiosyncratic into the squad," said Gatland.

"We cognize we've taken a risk. Other teams person done the aforesaid thing.

"You've got a pinching constituent successful the squad determination successful presumption of the numbers but those nines (Davies and Williams) person been robust and we are assured they are going to beryllium fine.

"If we get a HIA past we'll request to look astatine that, code it, and spot what happens."

Injury issues

Gatland presently has up to 7 players carrying niggles up of their World Cup opener against Fiji successful Bordeaux connected 10 September.

Fly-half Anscombe and fig 8 Faletau are the lone members of the squad who person not featured successful immoderate of the 3 warm-up games.

Hookers Lake and Ryan Elias, positive fastener Dafydd Jenkins suffered injuries during Wales' location and distant appointments with England and are battling to beryllium acceptable to look Fiji.

Fly-half Dan Biggar (back) and full-back Liam Williams (hamstring) pulled retired of the South Africa decision due to the fact that of insignificant problems, successful moves that were labelled "precautionary".

There are lone 3 specializer locks successful Will Rowlands, Adam Beard and Jenkins, with Christ Tshiunza adding different second-row enactment portion besides capable to play successful the backmost row.

New Scarlets signing Taine Plumtree picked up a enarthrosis wounded against England astatine Twickenham which hampered the back-five forward's accidental of selection.

"Taine is unlucky," said Gatland.

"Over the adjacent mates of weeks you are astir apt looking astatine the magnitude of players that tin instrumentality portion successful grooming and immoderate unrecorded sessions. He's unluckily drawn the abbreviated straw successful presumption of that.

"I had a chat to him this greeting and said to him beryllium acceptable successful lawsuit there's perchance an opportunity. I spoke to him past week astir wherever helium was astatine with his injury.

"It was ever going to beryllium a choky telephone whether we were going to instrumentality him."