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Steve Borthwick suffers second major injury blow as England squad updated
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Uncapped back-row one of two call ups to Steve Tandy's Wales squad
By Ian Cameron
Steve Tandy has added a pair of forwards to his Wales squad ahead of Friday night’s Guinness Six Nations trip to Dublin.
Cardiff tighthead Keiron Assiratti and Dragons RFC back-rower Ryan Woodman linked up with the group on Saturday as preparations stepped up for round four against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
Wales head into the fixture seeking a first win of the campaign following chastening defeats to England, France and Scotland.
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Assiratti is no stranger to Wales squads. The 120kg prop has 19 caps and has been a relatively regular presence in the Wales front row since making his Test debut in 2022.
The 6’5, 107kg Woodman is uncapped at senior level for Wales however. The Dragons academy graduate made his senior Dragons RFC debut in December 2022. A former Wales U20s captain, he can operate at flanker or second row, making 13 apperances so far this season, starting 11 of them; adding to the 18 appearances he made during the 2024/25 season.
The 22-year-old was named Dragons’ Young Player of the Season at the end of that campaign and now steps into the senior Wales environment for the first time as Tandy bolsters his back-row resources for the closing rounds of the championship.
Wales’ campaign has been bruising to date. A 48-7 defeat to England at Allianz Stadium was followed by a 54-12 loss to France in Cardiff, before a narrow 26-23 reversal against Scotland at the Principality Stadium.
They now travel to Dublin to face the daunting task of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, before concluding their campaign at home to Italy on Saturday, March 14.
UPDATED 39-MAN WALES SQUAD:
FORWARDS
Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby)
Adam Beard (Montpellier)
Liam Belcher (Cardiff Rugby)
James Botham (Cardiff Rugby)
Rhys Carre (Saracens)
Ben Carter (Dragons)
Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers)
Harri Deaves (Ospreys)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets)
Tomas Francis (Provence Rugby)
Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby)
Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs)
Dewi Lake (Ospreys) captain
Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby)
Josh Macleod (Scarlets)
Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys)
Freddie Thomas (Gloucester Rugby)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons)
Sam Wainwright (Cardiff Rugby)
Ryan Woodman (Dragons)
BACKS
Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby)
Sam Costelow (Scarlets)
Dan Edwards (Ospreys)
Jarrod Evans (Harlequins)
Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby)
Kieran Hardy (Ospreys)
Gabriel Hamer-Webb (Leicester Tigers)
Joe Hawkins (Scarlets)
Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby)
Eddie James (Scarlets)
Ellis Mee (Scarlets)
Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys)
Blair Murray (Scarlets)
Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears)
Tom Rogers (Scarlets)
Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys)
Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby)
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