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Uncapped back-row one of two call ups to Steve Tandy's Wales squad


Ryan Woodman (Captain) of Wales during the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023, 5th Place semi final match between Georgia and Wales at Paarl Gymnasium on July 9, 2023 in Paarl, South Africa. (Photo by World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
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Steve Tandy has added a pair of forwards to his Wales squad ahead of Friday night’s Guinness Six Nations trip to Dublin.

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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.

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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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GrahamVF 23 minutes ago
Jake White renews calls for Springboks to be forced to play from home

Absolutely agree H. Some of our best coaches are overseas getting paid decent wages. Johan van Graan and Franco Smith the two most high profile but there are others Shaun Sowerby and Hein Adams both at Bordeaux. It can only be money. I don’t think the current top four coaches are up to the same standard as some of the South Africans coaching overseas. My experience in coaching is that there are three year natural cycles, Year one - re-alignment. Bringing in the new ideas anc coaching prioroties. Very often the first season is punctuated by losses trying to adapt form the old to the new ways. Year two the team gels around the new ways and beginning to achieve near their potential. Year three the peak of the new methods. But this is the year when inevitable the form of good players begins to attract offers from greener pastures and key players leave with the inevitable decline in results. It happened to me when I coached Kloof Senior Primary when we beat some very established teams like Cordwalles Highbury and WP Prep, Hugh Reece Edwards was rugby director at Westville and four of my key players left for bursaries there with the inevitable fall in results. It happened again when I was manager of the Hillcrest Villagers - after gaining entry to the premier competition when we beat teams like Harlequins complete with Vleis Visagie and Robert du Preez - low and behold that HR Edwards then became coach of Crusaders and would you believe it - four of our key players went there at the end of the season together with three or four others who retired, and of course we were relegated.

So - the fact that Rassie has managed to hang on players and develop others to fill the inevitable gaps and the fact that he has a wide spread of ideas besides his own I think is key to the continued - and long may it continue - success of the Boks. Our retreads are useful to fill gaps until others develop and also to act as player/mentor/coach such as Os du Rand and Frans Steyn so the mix is good but you can’t rely solely on those players like The Sharks do. I think mostly the others are getting there. Hope so.



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