1 year ago
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| Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 4 February Kick-off: 14:15 GMT |
| Coverage: Live connected BBC One Wales, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and Radio 5 Sports Extra, the BBC Sport website & app; unrecorded substance commentary connected BBC Sport website & app. Highlights and analysis, Scrum V Six Nations, BBC Two Wales, Sunday, 5 February from 18:00 GMT and later connected demand. |
Leigh Halfpenny makes his archetypal Wales commencement for 19 months aft being named to look Ireland successful the Six Nations opener.
The Scarlets full-back, who has returned from a superior genu injury, is selected with Liam Williams ruled out.
Centre Joe Hawkins, 20, makes his title debut alongside Ospreys team-mate George North.
Ken Owens captains Wales for the archetypal clip connected his 87th headdress and is 1 of lone 2 forwards not from the Ospreys.
They see a instrumentality to the starting squad for Alun Wyn Jones portion flanker Jac Morgan, with 4 tries successful his past 2 Tests, gets the motion astatine blind-side successful a backmost enactment completed by British and Irish Lions Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.
Dragons helping Rio Dyer, who scored tries against Australia and New Zealand successful the autumn, replaces the injured Louis Rees-Zammit, up of the much experienced Alex Cuthbert who is among the replacements.
Head manager Warren Gatland said: "There's a substance of acquisition [and] younger players.
"We've picked Joe astatine 12. He's a beauteous footballer with immoderate large skills. I thought for his archetypal headdress helium was outstanding truthful we've fixed him different opportunity. There's immoderate existent contention successful the midfield astatine the moment, truthful I'm truly excited astir that.
"We were conscious arsenic good picking the bench. We deliberation we've got a seat that tin travel connected and person an impact."
Halfpenny is not the lone aged look named by Gatland who takes complaint of Wales for the archetypal clip since the bronze medal lucifer astatine the 2019 World Cup.
Rhys Webb is is among the replacements aft a 16-month lack pursuing his determination to France and consequent return.
While it is much than six years since Owen Williams and Scott Baldwin past played planetary rugby but some are besides named connected the seat aft impressing this play with the Ospreys, who marque up 12 of the match-day 23.
At the different extremity of the scale, Exeter Chiefs guardant Dafydd Jenkins is acceptable to marque his Six Nations debut arsenic a replacement.
More to follow.
Wales: Halfpenny; Adams, North, Hawkins, Dyer; Biggar, T Williams; G Thomas, Owens (capt), Francis, Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Morgan, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Baldwin, Carre, Lewis, Jenkins, Reffell, Webb, O Williams, Cuthbert.
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