Wales squad: Steve Tandy tempts England hotshot as six uncapped players named for Nations Championship
Steve Tandy (left) has named his wider squad for the Nations Championship Tests in July, with Wales taking on Fiji, Argentina and South Africa
Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named his extended 48-man squad for their Nations Championship campaign in July, with six uncapped men included.
The headline selection is arguably that of Exeter Chiefs back-rower Kane James, who has represented England U20s for the past two seasons. He is, however, from Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire.
Elsewhere, Rhys Barratt, Harrison Keddie, Ryan Woodman, Ben Warren and Bryn Bradley could also win their maiden Test caps after being named in the extended group.
Tandy’s side will face the Barbarians in an uncapped game, before taking on Fiji, Argentina and the Springboks across July.
Steve Tandy names Wales Nations Championship squad with six uncapped players included
While the focus will be on those fresh faces in the squad, Wales are boosted by the return of 2025 British and Irish Lions tourist Jac Morgan, who missed the Six Nations through injury. Max Llewellyn and Teddy Williams also make a comeback to the squad after missing the Championship earlier this year.
There is also a return for Leicester Tigers back-rower Tommy Reffell, who missed out on both the Autumn Nations Series and Six Nations squads, while Joe Roberts, Ellis Bevan and Dillon Lewis also return to the fold.
Commenting on his squad, Tandy said: “Some players will finish next weekend and then some might not come into the squad until the 27th of June, so there’s a lot of staggering, that’s the reason for the extended squad. There will be an updated squad post the Barbarians game before we go into the Nations Championship.
“The priorities for us this summer are to keep growing the players, get them up to speed with the conditioning element and also skill development when they’re coming in.
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“With smaller groups, sometimes it does help that we can get to work with these boys even closer than normal. It’s about getting everyone up to speed then linked to our game model as well.”
Wales are yet to name their captain for the summer tour, but Morgan, Dewi Lake and Dafydd Jenkins have all led the side in recent campaigns.
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Wales squad in full
Forwards: Keiron Assiratti, Rhys Barratt, Adam Beard, Liam Belcher, James Botham, Rhys Carre, Ben Carter, Olly Cracknell, Ryan Elias, Kane James, Dafydd Jenkins, Harrison Keddie, Dewi Lake, Dillon Lewis, Evan Lloyd, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Freddie Thomas, Aaron Wainwright, Sam Wainwright, Ben Warren, Teddy Williams, Ryan Woodman
Backs: Josh Adams, Ellis Bevan, Bryn Bradley, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Jarrod Evans, Mason Grady, Kieran Hardy, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Joe Hawkins, Louie Hennessey, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Ellis Mee, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Blair Murray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Joe Roberts, Tom Rogers, Ben Thomas, Tomos Williams