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Wales name team to face Italy


Wales team named for Italy clash (Getty Images)
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Jonathan Davies will captain Wales for the first time on Saturday as he leads his country against Italy in Rome.

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Davies will win his 70th cap at Stadio Olimpico and becomes Wales’ 137th captain.

He will line up in midfield alongside Owen Watkin with Dan Biggar and Aled Davies named at fly-half and scrum-half respectively.

In total Wales have made 10 personnel changes from the side that beat France in Paris.

Liam Williams and Josh Adams, who both started in Paris last week, are joined by Jonah Holmes in the back-three with the latter making his first Six Nations appearance.

In the pack Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee and Samson Lee form a new look front-row with Jake Ball coming into the second-row alongside Adam Beard, with Alun Wyn Jones on the bench.

In the back-row Josh Navidi moves to No. 8, Aaron Wainwright starts at blindside flanker and Thomas Young makes his first Six Nations appearance on the openside.

“We have made a number of changes this weekend but have picked what we think is a very exciting team that still has huge experience throughout it,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

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“We have made a similar number of changes to what we did last year, but it is all about opportunity for these players.

“We have had a squad of 31 training together, replicating the Rugby World Cup and it is important they get game-time.

“It is a great opportunity for Jon (Davies) as captain. He has a huge amount of experience, is a great leader and it is a great honour for him to lead his country.

“Italy will be hurting after last weekend but they are a different proposition in Rome. They are an experienced team themselves and they will be looking to put things right on the pitch after their opening defeat.”

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Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones and Dillon Lewis are the front-row replacements on the bench with Alun Wyn Jones and Ross Moriarty completing the forward contingent. Gareth Davies, Gareth Anscombe and Hallam Amos provide Wales’ backline cover.

WALES TEAM TO PLAY ITALY (Saturday February 9 KO 16.45 GMT – Live ITV & S4C)
15. Liam Williams (52 Caps)
14. Jonah Holmes (1 Cap)
13. Jonathan Davies (69 Caps) (Capt)
12. Owen Watkin (9 Caps)
11. Josh Adams (7 Caps)
10. Dan Biggar (66 Caps)
9. Aled Davies (12 Caps)
1. Nicky Smith (24 Caps)
2. Elliot Dee (14 Caps)
3. Samson Lee (39 Caps)
4. Jake Ball (29 Caps)
5. Adam Beard (9 Caps)
6. Aaron Wainwright (4 Caps)
7. Thomas Young (2 Caps)
8. Josh Navidi (12 Caps)

Replacements:
16. Ryan Elias (6 Caps)
17. Wyn Jones (11 Caps)
18. Dillon Lewis (8 Caps)
19 Alun Wyn Jones (121 Caps)
20. Ross Moriarty (27 Caps)
21. Gareth Davies (37 Caps)
22. Gareth Anscombe (22 Caps)
23. Hallam Amos (18 Caps)

Watch: Guinness Six Nations: Week 1 Round Up

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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