Wales name six new caps as Lake leads Japan tour

Wales interim coach Matt Sherratt has named six uncapped players for nan two-Test circuit of Japan, pinch hooker Dewi Lake fixed nan captaincy.

Cardiff skipper Liam Belcher, Dragons prop Chris Coleman, Ospreys trio Garyn Phillips, Keelan Giles and Reuben Morgan-Williams, positive Scarlets backmost Macs Page are nan caller faces, but location is nary room for Ospreys number 8 Morgan Morse.

Lake leads nan 33-man squad successful nan absence of flanker Jac Morgan, who is connected circuit pinch nan British and Irish Lions successful Australia, on pinch Gloucester scrum-half Tomos Williams.

The notable absentees for Japan are locks Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard and Will Rowlands, Scarlets brace Henry Thomas and Ellis Mee, Gloucester duo Gareth Anscombe and Max Llewellyn, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins and Cardiff duo James Botham and Evan Lloyd.

Exeter fastener Jenkins will person room and Scarlets prop Thomas needs to activity master sentiment connected a semipermanent condition, while Llewellyn and Jarrod Evans are injured.

Beard and Rowlands are rested but Tompkins, Mee, Anscombe, Lloyd and Botham person not been selected.

Dragons 2nd statement Ben Carter, Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow and Bath tight-head prop Archie Griffin return having missed nan Six Nations owed to injury.

Kieran Hardy, Alex Mann, Josh Macleod, James Ratti, Johnny Williams and Cameron Winnett person been handed recalls.

"I'm excited to get nan players together successful campy to statesman preparations for our summertime campaign," said Sherratt.

"There's a bully blend of acquisition and young talent selected and this group has a batch of potential.

"Going to Japan this July is simply a situation nan coaches and I are relishing. We are expecting a fierce title from Japan successful these Test matches.

"Over nan adjacent fewer weeks successful camp, it's astir moving hard, getting each our prep correct connected and disconnected nan transportation and gelling together arsenic a group."

Wales will look to extremity a grounds tally of successive 17 Test losses successful Japan, having not won an world since October 2023 successful a tally that includes 2 successive Six Nations Wooden Spoons.

Wales will play nan Test matches against Eddie Jones' Japan broadside successful Kitakyushu and Kobe aiming not to gaffe from their lowest ever position of 12th successful nan world rankings.

The first Test, astatine Kitakyushu's Mikuni World Stadium, will return spot connected 5 July successful nan metropolis wherever Wales held their Rugby World Cup training campy successful 2019.

The 2nd Test will beryllium played astatine Kobe's Noevir Stadium – which features a retractable tile – 7 days later.

Wales' men person won 13 of their 14 erstwhile meetings pinch Japan, pinch nan astir caller encounter, successful Cardiff successful 2016, ending successful a 33-30 triumph for nan location side.

Wales' only nonaccomplishment successful this fixture came successful nan summertime of 2013 erstwhile they mislaid 23-8 successful Tokyo.

Forwards: Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Garyn Phillips, Keiron Assiratti, Chris Coleman, Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (capt), Liam Belcher, Elliot Dee, Ben Carter, Teddy Williams, Freddie Thomas, James Ratti, Taine Plumtree, Aaron Wainwright, Alex Mann, Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Josh Macleod.

Backs: Kieran Hardy, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Rhodri Williams, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Ben Thomas, Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Macs Page, Josh Adams, Tom Rogers, Blair Murray, Keelan Giles, Cameron Winnett.