Wales men’s head coach Wayne Pivac has named a 35-player squad for the 2022 Autumn Nations Series featuring 14 Ospreys in the mix.
Uncapped Joe Hawkins is named alongside regional teammates Gareth Anscombe, Alex Cuthbert, George North and Owen Watkin. Nicky Smith, Justin Tipuric and Jac Morgan return to the International setup alongside Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Lydiate in the pack.
Pivac said: “It’s great to have Ken, Justin and Leigh back after long-term injuries. They are three great players who have served Wales very well. They are all British and Irish Lions so quality players. We’re excited to have them in the squad for obvious reasons. We have a number of young players in this squad so it will be great for them to rub shoulders with these experienced ones.”
Talking about the uncapped players in the squad, Pivac added: “There’s a lot of young players we’ve been keeping an eye on for a number of years through the age group system and now playing club rugby. There’s a view of the here and now in this squad but also beyond Rugby World Cup 2023 to the tournament in 2027, so there’s some young guys getting the opportunity to taste the camp environment. They may or may not get game time, but it will be a great experience for them.
“Dane Blacker has been playing well at nine for the Scarlets. We know a lot about Gareth (Davies) it’s not the end of the road for Gareth, I’ve spoken to him. Sam Costelow is another young player at the Scarlets playing well and having come through the age grade system. Joe Hawkins is the same, he captained the U20s so he’s a player for the future. Rio Dyer came into camp ahead of the South Africa Test Series to help the squad prepare and performed well. He’s currently playing really well for the Dragons.
“Josh Macleod is an interesting one. He’s been selected in a couple of camps before. Unfortunately he was injured before coming in playing for the Scarlets, then we actually named him to play in a Six Nations game against Scotland and he ruptured his Achilles in training which was devastating for him. He’s a guy that’s been on our radar for some time and to get him into the squad and have another look at him, we’re excited for Josh.
Regarding the captaincy, Pivac said:“For us it’s about finalising the squad today and then we’ll look closely at who’s going to lead the side. We have quite a few options with a lot of experience in the squad now. There’s probably an opportunity for more than one captain in this series.”
Wales will play Test matches on four consecutive Saturdays this November and Pivac is relishing the opportunity:“To have a stadium full of fans, teams like the All Blacks, Argentina, Georgia and Australia coming to town it’s going to be really exciting. I remember prior to taking this role, coming to Principality Stadium with those full crowds, with the bands, with all the atmosphere – it’s just tremendous and we can’t wait.”
Wales’ Autumn Nations Series kicks off at 15:15h on Saturday 5 November against the All Blacks in the 37th meeting between the two sides.
Argentina is next up the following Saturday (12 November) at 17:30h. The Pumas are back after two visits to Principality Stadium last July, with more fans able to watch the action this time around following capped attendances in 2021 due to Covid.
The third round of the series sees Georgia return to Cardiff on Saturday 19 November for the first time since 2017, after the last meeting between the two sides was moved to Parc y Scarlets when the Principality Stadium became a field hospital in 2020. This fixture has entertained Welsh crowds on three previous occasions in total, including at Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
The final match and climax of the 2022 Autumn Nations Series sees Wales and Australia compete for the James Bevan trophy on Saturday 26th November.
Tickets are still available via local rugby clubs and www.wru.wales/tickets for Wales’ matches against New Zealand (very limited supply), Argentina, Georgia and Australia at Principality Stadium next month, with all proceeds received fed back into the game in Wales.
Concessionary tickets for supporters under 17-years-old – which carry a 50% discount – have been available in all price categories for all Autumn Nations Series games and remain applicable to all remaining tickets.
WALES SQUAD FOR 2022 AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES
Forwards (20)
Rhodri Jones (Dragons – 21 caps)
Nicky Smith (Ospreys – 41 caps)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 13 caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 30 caps)
Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 8 caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets – 87 caps)
Tomas Francis (Ospreys – 65 caps)
Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby – 41 caps)
Sam Wainwright (Saracens – 2 caps)
Adam Beard (Ospreys – 37 caps)
Ben Carter (Dragons Rugby – 6 caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys 153 caps)
Will Rowlands (Dragons Rugby – 21 caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby – 91 caps)
Dan Lydiate (Ospreys – 68 caps)
Josh MacLeod (Scarlets – uncapped)
Jac Morgan (Ospreys – 3 caps)
Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 3 caps)
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys – 86 caps)
Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs – 2 caps)
Backs (15)
Dane Blacker (Scarlets – uncapped)
Kieran Hardy (Scarlets – 14 caps)
Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 36 caps)
Gareth Anscombe (Ospreys – 32 caps)
Sam Costelow (Scarlets – uncapped)
Rhys Priestland (Cardiff Rugby – 52 caps)
Joe Hawkins – (Ospreys uncapped)
George North (Ospreys – 105 caps)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens – 23 caps)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys – 33 caps)
Josh Adams – (Cardiff Rugby – 42 caps)
Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys – 52 caps)
Rio Dyer (Dragons Rugby – uncapped)
Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets – 96 caps)
Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby – 19 caps)
Players unavailable for selection due to injury: Taine Basham, Dan Biggar, Leon Brown, Seb Davies, Wyn Jones, Josh Navidi, Johnny Williams, Liam Williams
2022 AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES FIXTURES
All Live on Amazon Prime with Welsh and English language broadcasts
Saturday 5 November: Wales v New Zealand
Principality Stadium KO 15:15 GMT
Saturday 12 November: Wales v Argentina
Principality Stadium KO 17:30 GMT
Saturday 19 November: Wales v Georgia
Principality Stadium KO 13:00 GMT
Saturday 26 November: Wales v Australia
Principality Stadium KO 15:15 GMT