Four RWC debutants named in Wales team to take on Portugal
Wales have announced their team to take on Portugal at Stade de Nice in their Pool C match on Saturday. Wales, coming off a narrow victory over Fiji, will be hoping to use this match as a way to build form before they face Australia a week later.
Wales arrived in Nice from Bordeaux on Monday afternoon and have been preparing for this fixture from their match city training base.
Tomos Williams starts at scrum-half to win his 50th cap for Wales. Gareth Anscombe makes his first appearance of the 2023 world cup campaign at fly-half.
Dewi Lake, one of four players in the starting line up making their Rugby World Cup debut this weekend, captains the side at hooker. He is joined in the front row by Nicky Smith at loosehead prop and Dillon Lewis at tighthead prop.
Johnny Williams and Mason Grady make their RWC debuts in the Wales midfield.
In the back three, Leigh Halfpenny is named at fullback to win his 101st cap and feature in his tenth RWC match across three tournaments. Rio Dyer makes his first start of the 2023 edition, joining Louis Rees-Zammit on the wing.
Club teammates Christ Tshiunza and Dafydd Jenkins pair up in the second row with Tshiunza making his first start at lock for Wales.
The back row is made up of Dan Lydiate at blindside flanker who, like Halfpenny, is making his tenth RWC appearance in his third tournament, Tommy Reffell making his first start of this year’s tournament at openside flanker and Taulupe Faletau at No. 8.
Wales’ replacements include Gareth Davies, Sam Costelow and Josh Adams as the back line cover.
Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski and Tomas Francis are the front row cover, Adam Beard is the second row cover and Taine Basham, in-line for his world cup debut, is the final forward replacement.
Gatland said: “We’ve made a few changes this week given the six-day turnaround.
“This is an opportunity now for this match day 23. I’ve said before, but there’s some great competition within the squad which is what we want to see. There’s a chance now for this group to go out Saturday and to put down their own marker in the tournament.
“We’ve done a thorough debrief of last week’s game and know the areas we need to improve. We have a clear plan of how we want to play on Saturday and it’s about going out there and executing that as we have prepared.
“Portugal are a skillful side and will be raring to go this weekend in their first match of the tournament. We’re excited to get back out there and looking forward to seeing more great support from the travelling fans out in Nice.”
Wales senior men’s XV to play Portugal
15. Leigh Halfpenny (unattached)
14. Louis Rees Zammit (Gloucester Rugby)
13. Mason Grady Cardiff Rugby*
12. Johnny Williams (Scarlets)*
11. Rio Dyer (Dragons)
10. Gareth Anscombe (Suntory Sungoliath)
9. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby)
1. Nicky Smith (Ospreys)
2. Dewi Lake (Ospreys)*
3. Dillon Lewis (Harlequins)
4. Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs)*
5. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs)
6. Dan Lydiate (Dragons)
7. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby)
Replacements
16. Ryan Elias (Scarlets)
17. Corey Domachowski ( Cardiff Rugby)
18. Tomas Francis (Provence Rugby)
19. Adam Beard (Ospreys)
20. Taine Basham (Dragons)*
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets)
22. Sam Costelow (Scarlets)
23. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby)
*player making RWC debut
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments