WARREN GATLAND HAS named four uncapped players in his 34-man Six Nations squad, including New Zealand native Gareth Anscombe.
The 23-year-old out-half/fullback has played just nine times for the Cardiff Blues since arriving earlier this season from the Chiefs, but qualifies for Wales through his Cardiff-born mother.
Gatland was crucial in convincing Anscombe to move to Wales and has now backed him to make an immediate impact at international level.
The other uncapped players in the Welsh group are Scarlets prop Rob Evans [22], Cardiff Blues hooker Kristian Dacey [25] and 19-year-old Tyler Morgan centre/wing, who impressed at last summer’s Junior World Championships in New Zealand.
28 of the players who were involved in Wales’ November Tests return to the squad ahead of the Six Nations, while there are recalls for Cardiff prop Scott Andrews and the Scarlets lively scrum-half Gareth Davies.
Openside flanker Sam Warburton continues as captain, while Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland will compete with Anscombe for the 10 shirt.
There is no place in the squad for Owen Williams, who is in excellent form for the Leicester Tigers, while Gloucester’s James Hook is rather unsurprisingly left out. 33-year-old tighthead Adam Jones is again missing from the selection.
Joe Schmidt’s Ireland face Wales in Cardiff on 14 March, while Gatland’s men also have a home tie against England on 6 February. They travel to take on Scotland on 15 February, France on 28 February and Italy on 21 March.
34-man Wales squad for Six Nations:
Props: Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Paul James (Bath), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets)
Hookers: Scott Andrews (Cardiff Blues), Richard Hibbard (Gloucester), Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys)
Locks: Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Bradley Davies (Wasps), Luke Charteris (Racing Metro)
Back rows: Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), James King (Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, captain), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Half-backs: Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues)
Centres: Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), Jonathan Davies (Clermont Auvergne), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Tyler Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Back threes: Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), George North (Northampton Saints), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon).
