Dan Lydiate surprise starter for Wales against Ireland

Adam Kyriacou
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Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate will make his first start for Wales since November 2018 when he runs out against Ireland in the Six Nations on Sunday.

Rewarded for his form at regional level, Lydiate earns his 65th appearance for Wales in an all British & Irish Lions back-row alongside Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones will partner the returning Adam Beard in the second-row.

Ken Owens returns to the side after missing the autumn campaign due to injury and lines up alongside Wyn Jones and Tomas Francis.

Tomos Williams will make his first appearance since last year’s tournament after injury and partners Dan Biggar at half-back.

99th cap for George North

Johnny Williams partners George North in the centre, with North winning his 99th Wales cap.

The back-three comprises of Hallam Amos, Louis Rees-Zammit and Leigh Halfpenny.

“We are looking forward to kicking off our campaign this weekend and putting into action two really good training weeks,” said Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.

“We made strides forward through the autumn and we are looking to take that into Sunday and into this tournament.

“The Six Nations is a fantastic tournament and is important for us rugby wise but it is important for so much more this year.

“It is important for communities across the country and we want to play our part and give everyone something to look forward to and to get excited about on the weekend.”

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Adam Beard, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Josh Navidi, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Nick Tompkins

Date: Sunday, February 7
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), Alex Ruiz (France)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)

 

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