Wales kick off their Six Nations on Saturday against Scotland without the injured George North and with eleven players each having less than 40 caps, including novice fullback Cameron Winnett, captain Dafydd Jenkins (21) and opener Sam Costelow.
Coach Warren Gatland must cope for this competition without the newly retired Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny, without his usual captain Jac Morgan nor his co-captain Dewi Lake, injured like the third row Taulupe Faletau.
In Cardiff on Saturday (5:45 p.m.), he will also not have George North (118 caps), who has a shoulder problem and who “did not participate in collective training last week”. In his absence, the New Zealander relied on Owen Watkin (37th selection), the center of the Ospreys, who has not started since November 2022.
Josh Adams, Cardiff winger (55th selection), takes the place left free by young star Louis Rees-Zammit, who left for the United States to try his hand at American football.
His club partner, fullback Cameron Winnett (21), inherits the No.15 for the first time in his career in the selection.
At 23, fly half Sam Costelow will discover the Six Nations Tournament for his ninth selection. He will form the hinge with scrum-half Gareth Davies, his Scarlets teammate with the greatest international experience (33 years old, 75th selection).
The Welsh, fifth in the previous edition, will be guided by the second row of Exeter Chiefs, Dafydd Jenkins, who will become on Saturday at 21 years and 60 days the second youngest captain in the history of Welsh rugby, behind Gareth Edwards in 1968 (20 years at the Five Nations Tournament).
The Wales XV against Scotland on February 3:
Winnett – Adams, Watkin, Tompkins, Dyer – (o) Costelow, (m) Davies – Reffel, Wainwright, Botham – Beard, Jenkins (cap.) – Brown, Elias, Domachowski.
Substitutes: Dee, Mathias, Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Mann – Tomos Williams, Ioan Lloyd, Mason Grady
