Wales squad: Two uncapped men in final Nations Championship group as Steve Tandy suffers latest injury blow
Steve Tandy (right) has named his final 33-man Nations Championship squad, which will be led by Dewi Lake (left)
Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named his finalised 33-man squad for the Nations Championship Tests in July, with two uncapped men included.
Back in May, Tandy announced a 46-man extended group to begin preparations for the uncapped fixture against the Barbarians and subsequent Tests against Fiji, Argentina and the Springboks, but following their 33-31 win over the famous touring side on Saturday (27 June), has cut 13 players from that initial squad.
While some of the cuts have been made on a selection basis, some have also come as a result of injury. Keiron Assiratti and Liam Belcher were already ruled out, but upon confirming their final squad, Wales have also now confirmed Dafydd Jenkins will miss the Tests after suffering a shoulder injury in Exeter Chiefs’ PREM final loss to Northampton Saints that requires surgery. The towering lock also missed their tour of Japan last year to undergo surgery on a shoulder issue.
Wales name two uncapped players in final 33-man Nations Championship squad
Wales’ uncapped contingent both come in the pack, with Exeter Chiefs and former England U20s hotshot Kane James and Ospreys man Ben Warren both included in the final touring party.
Steve Tandy fires warning at side despite Barbarians victory as he looks ahead to ‘chaotic’ fixture
As previously confirmed, Dewi Lake will lead the squad as captain, but is joined by the likes of Jac Morgan, Adam Beard, Aaron Wainwright, Josh Adams, Tomos Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit in an experienced squad that boasts a combined 882 Test caps.
Commenting on his final group, Tandy said: “We have selected a squad of 33 players for the Nations Championship to mirror what will be required for the World Cup in 2027. We are building a lot of competition among our group of players, which is what we want to have, and there were some tough calls to make.
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“We have an exciting opportunity over the next three weeks in a brand-new competition and can’t wait to get our campaign started against Fiji on Saturday.
“As I’ve mentioned before, the priorities for us this summer are to keep growing and developing the players. We want to continue building and to be more consistent in our performances across all three games.”
Wales final 33-man Nations Championship squad in full
Forwards: Adam Beard, James Botham, Rhys Carre, Ben Carter, Ryan Elias, Kane James, Dewi Lake (c), Dillon Lewis, Evan Lloyd, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Aaron Wainwright, Sam Wainwright, Ben Warren, Teddy Williams
Backs: Josh Adams, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Mason Grady, Kieran Hardy, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Ellis Mee, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Blair Murray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Ben Thomas, Tomos Williams
Wales Nations Championship July Fixtures
Fiji v Wales
Date: Saturday, 4 July, 2026
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Kick-off: 14:10 (local), 15:10 (France), 15:10 (South Africa), 23:10 (AEST), 22:10 (JST), 10:10 (Argentina), 9:10 (EDT), 1:10 (5 July, FJT)
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (RFU), Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)
FPRO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Broadcasters: ITV/S4C (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network/Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
Argentina v Wales
Date: Saturday, 11 July, 2026
Venue: Estadio San Juan de Bicentenario, San Juan
Kick-off: 16:10 (local), 20:10 (UK), 21:10 (France), 21:10 (South Africa), 15:10 (EDT), 5:10 (12 July, AEST), 16:10 (JST), 4:10 (July 12, JST)
Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (RA), Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)
Broadcasters: ITV/S4C (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network/Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
South Africa v Wales
Date: Saturday, 18 July, 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 12:40 (Argentina), 11:40 (EDT), 1:40 (July 19, AEST), 00:40 (July 19, JST)
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR), James Doleman (NZR)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
Broadcasters: ITV/S4C (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network/Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
