Wales have named three uncapped players in the 27-man squad to face South Africa in the Principality Building Society Summer Test at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 5 June (2.30pm) and to tour New Zealand later in the month.
Scarlets trio Tavis Knoyle, Ken Owens and Rob McCusker join a squad of players boasting an average of just over 25 caps each and with five players already in the 50-cap club.
Scarlets playmaker Stephen Jones, Blues prop Gethin Jenkins and Ospreys trio Adam Jones, Jonathan Thomas and Shane Williams all add the considerable weight of their experience to a squad led by Ryan Jones – himself set to make his 24th appearance as captain against the Springboks and move a step closer to the all time record held by Ieuan Evans, who led his country 28 times.
Elsewhere 2005 Grand Slam winner, Blues prop, John Yapp returns to the squad which otherwise largely resembles Warren Gatland’s RBS 6 Nations squad of 2010 – save the already noted absences of James Hook, Martyn Williams, Luke Charteris and Dwayne Peel.
That means Wales’ youngest player Tom Prydie – who at 18 years and 27 days faced Italy last time out in the 33 – 10 win at Millennium Stadium – could return to the scene of his debut as head coach Warren Gatland tells how he is pleased with the blend of youth and experience he now has available to him.
“I’m a great believer in ‘if you are good enough you are old enough’ and that applies to the likes of both Tom and Tavis Knoyle,” said Gatland.
“We have gone very much for continuity of selection and kept the squad small, but there are also a couple of youngsters in there who we are going to stick by.
“Tom will gain experience from being with us, Shane Williams and even Lee Byrne aren’t going to be around forever and he is someone who can cover those positions and who we are excited about.
“We are excited about Tavis as well, he is a big strong lad, someone who has been compared to Mike Phillips on the pitch, he has a good pass and some real speed and he has the frame there as well so he has it all going for him and he has some real potential.
“Rob (McCusker) comes in as well with a real opportunity to move himself up the pecking order. He perhaps wouldn’t have had the chance if Martyn had been with us or if Dan Lydiate at the Dragons had been fit, but he has an opportunity now.
“We have been impressed with his form for the Scarlets and he has played some sevens for Wales and there’s no doubting he has the pace and ability so he is great potential.”
Gatland has also named an eight man standby squad which will train with Wales while they are in the UK and are in line to be called up for the New Zealand tour should injuries occur.
Dragons trio Will Harries, Gavin Thomas and Jason Tovey join Blues pair Chris Czekaj and Thomas Rhys Thomas and Ospreys duo Ian Gough and Craig Mitchell together with the Scarlets’ Martyn Roberts on the standby list.
The Welsh Rugby Union has already sold approximately 50,000 tickets for the summer afternoon clash with the World Champion Springboks, but Gatland has called on fans to ensure the game is a sell-out to spur on his side as the World Cup countdown begins.
“There is no better place than the Millennium Stadium when it is full to its rafters and I really hope the fans turn up to give us the send off we are hoping for before we tour New Zealand,” added Gatland.
“I’ve said all along that the best preparation for us in a World Cup year is to play the best teams and they don’t come much tougher than the Springboks and the All Blacks.
“We have an opportunity to start off on the right foot on 5 June with a victory and, hopefully, by the time the World Cup comes around we will have a battle hardened squad ready to achieve something special and we will look back and see that it all started here.”
Priced at £25 per person or £80 for a family ( 2 adults, 2 children) tickets for the ‘Principality Building Society Summer Test’ – Wales v South Africa, Millennium Stadium, Saturday 5th June KO 2.30pm – can be purchased from at the WRU’s Cardiff Arms Store (No 8 Westgate Street, Cardiff); via Ticketmaster (tel 08442 777888, www.ticketmaster.co.uk), Ticketline (02920 230130, www.ticketlineuk.com) and via the WRU Official Website www.wru.co.uk/tickets.
The remaining WRU hospitality packages can be snapped up from £119 for the ‘SA Gold’ package and fans should act fast to secure the hottest tickets via the official website www.millenniumstadium.com.
Further hospitality information is available online for all packages including the ‘Platinum Suite’ at £229 and the recently launched after popular demand. ‘Springbox Suite’ at £139
WALES SQUAD
PRINCIPALITY BUILDING SOCIETY SUMMER TEST V SOUTH AFRICA/TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND
BLUES
Bradley Davies
Leigh Halfpenny
Gethin Jenkins
Deiniol Jones
Andy Powell
Richie Rees
Jamie Roberts
Sam Warburton
John Yapp
OSPREYS
Huw Bennett
Dan Biggar
Andrew Bishop
Lee Byrne
Paul James
Adam Jones
Alun Wyn Jones
Ryan Jones
Mike Phillips
Tom Prydie
Jonathan Thomas
Shane Williams
SCARLETS
Jonathan Davies
Stephen Jones
Tavis Knoyle
Rob McCusker
Ken Owens
Matthew Rees
STANDBY LIST (To train with the squad in the UK and cover tour squad for injuries)
BLUES
Chris Czekaj
Thomas Rhys Thomas
OSPREYS
Ian Gough
Craig Mitchell
SCARLETS
Martyn Roberts
DRAGONS
Will Harries
Gavin Thomas
Jason Tovey
WALES
Lee BYRNE (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,041)
DoB: 01.06.80. 6’3″ / 1.91m. 15st 1lb / 96kgs
International record: 32 caps (W 14, L 17, D 1; 40 pts – 8T)
Shane WILLIAMS (OSPREYS – Cap No 976)
DoB: 26.02.77. 5’7″ / 1.71m. 12st 11lbs / 81kgs
International record: 73 caps (W 35, L 36, D 2; 255 pts – 51T)
Leigh HALFPENNY (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,060)
DoB: 22.12.88. 5’10” / 1.77m. 12st 11lbs / 81kgs
International record: 14 caps (W 6, L 8; 53 pts – 7T, 6PG)
Tom PRYDIE (OSPREYS)
DoB: 23.02.92. 6’4″ / 1.94m. 13st 10lbs / 87kgs
International record: 1 cap (W 1)
Jamie ROBERTS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,057)
DoB: 08.11.86. 6’4″ / 1.93m. 16st 10lbs / 107kgs
International record: 21 caps (W 10, L 11; 5 pts – 1T)
Andrew BISHOP (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,059)
DoB: 07.08.85. 6’0″ / 1.83m. 14st 12lbs / 94kgs
International record: 10 caps (W 7, L 3)
Jonathan DAVIES (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,066)
DoB: 05.04.88. 6’1″ / 1.86m. 16st 10lbs / 106kgs
International record: 5 caps (W 4, L 1; 10 pts – 2T)
Stephen JONES (SCARLETS – Cap No 966)
DoB: 08.12.77. 6’1″ / 1.86m. 15st 0lbs / 95kgs
International record: 88 caps (W39, L47, D2; 794 pts – 7T,129C,162PG,5DG)
Dan BIGGAR (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,063)
DoB: 16.10.89. 6’2″ / 1.88m. 14st 3lbs / 90kgs
International record: 4 caps (W 4; 44 pts – 7C, 10PG)
Michael PHILLIPS (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,022)
DoB: 29.08.82. 6’3″ / 1.91m. 16st 4lbs / 103kgs
International record: 39 caps (W 21, L 17, D 1; 20 pts – 4T)
Richard REES (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,072)
DoB: 21.05.83. 5’11” / 1.80m. 12st 7lb / 79kgs
International record: 4 caps (W 1, L 3)
Tavis KNOYLE (SCARLETS – Uncapped)
DoB: 02.06.90. 6’1″ / 1.85m. 15st 12lbs / 101kgs
International record: Uncapped
Gethin JENKINS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,006)
DoB: 17.11.80. 6’2″ / 1.88m. 19st 4lbs / 122kgs
International record: 74 caps (W 33, L 39, D 2; 15 pts – 3T)
Huw BENNETT (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,017)
DoB: 11.06.83. 6’0″ / 1.83m. 16st 10lbs / 106kgs
International record: 32 caps (W 18, L 14)
Matthew REES (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,033)
DoB: 09.12.80. 6’0″ / 1.83m. 17st 3lbs / 109kgs
International record: 36 caps (W 17, L 18, D 1; 10 pts – 2T)
Ken OWENS (SCARLETS – Uncapped)
DoB: 03.01.87. 6’1″ / 1.86m. 17st 8lbs / 112kgs
International record: Uncapped
Paul JAMES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,021)
DoB: 13.05.82. 6’1″ / 1.86m. 18st 4lbs / 116kgs
International record: 10 caps (W 5, L 5)
Adam Rhys JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,018)
DoB: 08.03.81. 6’0″ / 1.83m. 19st 10lb / 125kgs
International record: 61 caps (W 31, L 28, D 2; 10 pts – 2T)
John YAPP (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,031)
DoB: 09.04.83. 6’2″ / 1.88m. 18st 8lbs / 118kgs
International record: 14 caps (W 12, L 2)
Alun Wyn JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,046)
DoB: 19.09.85. 6’5″ / 1.96m. 18st 8lbs / 118kgs
International record: 37 caps (W 16, L 21; 20 pts – 4T)
Bradley DAVIES (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,065)
DoB: 09.01.87. 6’6″ / 1.98m. 18st 11lbs / 119kgs
International record: 10 caps (W 6, L 4)
Deiniol JONES (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 981)
DoB: 18.11.77. 6’5″ 1.96m. 17st 3lbs / 109kgs
International record: 8 caps (W 6, L 2)
Jonathan THOMAS (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,013)
DoB: 27.12.82. 6’5″ / 1.96m. 17st 13lbs / 114kgs
International record: 55 caps (W 27, L 26, D 2; 35 pts – 7T)
Rob McCUSKER (SCARLETS)
DoB: 12.10.85. 1.95m / 6’4″. 15st 11lbs / 100kgs
International record: Uncapped
Andy POWELL (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,061)
DoB: 23.08.81. 6’4″ / 1.94m. 17st 6lbs / 111kgs
International record: 14 caps (W 8, L 6)
Ryan JONES (OSPREYS, CAPTAIN – Cap No 1,029)
DoB: 13.03.81. 6’5″ / 1.96m. 18st 0lbs / 114kgs
International record: 40 caps (W 23, L 16, D 1; 5 pts – 1T)
Sam WARBURTON (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,070)
DoB: 05.10.88. 1.88m / 6’2″. 15st 11lbs / 100kgs
International record: 6 caps (W 4, L 2)
STAND-BY LIST
Ian GOUGH (OSPREYS – Cap No 964)
DoB: 10.11.76. 6′ 6″ / 1.98m. 18st 11lbs / 119kgs
International record: 63 caps (W 30, L 30, D 3; 5 pts – 1T)
Will HARRIES (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS – Uncapped)
DoB: 30.03.87. 5’8″ / 1.73m. 13st 1lb / 83kgs
International record: Uncapped
Jason TOVEY (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS
DoB: 28.04.89. 5’11” / 1.80m. 12st 13lbs / 82kgs
International record: Uncapped
Chris CZEKAJ (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,038)
DoB: 14.12.85. 6’3″ / 1.91m. 16st 8lbs / 105kgs
International record: 7 caps (W 2, L 5; 10 pts – 2T)
Martin ROBERTS (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,062)
DoB: 06.06.86. 5’9″ / 1.76m. 12st 11lbs / 81kgs
International record: 3 caps (W 1, L 2)
Thomas Rhys THOMAS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,035)
DoB: 23.04.82. 6’0″ / 1.83m. 16st 8lbs / 105kgs
International record: 27 caps (W 10, L 16, D 1; 5 pts – 1T)
Craig MITCHELL (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,068)
DoB: 03.05.86. 6’1″ / 1.85m. 17st 2lbs / 109kgs
International record: 3 caps (W 3)
Gavin Michael THOMAS (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS)
DoB: 22.10.77. 6’1″ / 1.86m. 15st 10lbs / 100kgs
International record: 22 caps (W 7, L 15; 20 pts – 4T)
