George North absent for Wales’ Six Nations opener with Scotland

LAST UPDATE | 1 Feb

WALES CENTRE GEORGE North has been ruled out of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against Scotland because of a shoulder injury.

North, who has won 118 caps and is comfortably the most experienced player in Wales’ Six Nations squad, was hurt during Ospreys’ recent European Challenge Cup victory over South Africa side the Lions.

Owen Watkin and Nick Tompkins will forge Wales’ midfield partnership, with Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett handed a Test debut after just 15 games of professional rugby.

The 21-year-old features in a position vacated by Liam Williams’ move to Japan, while full-back option Louis Rees-Zammit recently quit rugby union to pursue a possible American football career.

Elsewhere, Winnett’s Cardiff colleague James Botham – grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian Botham – is recalled for a first Wales appearance since July 2021, packing down alongside back-row colleagues Tommy Reffell and Aaron Wainwright.

Dragons prop Leon Brown also starts, with uncapped Cardiff flanker Alex Mann among the replacements, where former Bristol back Ioan Lloyd provides fly-half cover for Sam Costelow.

Racing 92 lock Will Rowlands, whose partner recently gave birth, is not included in the match-day 23, with captain Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard forging Wales’ second-row combination.

At 21, Exeter forward Jenkins is Wales’ youngest skipper since a 20-year-old Gareth Edwards led Wales against Scotland in 1968.

Wales have beaten Scotland 11 times on the bounce in Cardiff, winning nine Six Nations games, a World Cup warm-up fixture and an autumn Test since the Scots triumphed in April 2002.

But Wales are now without the likes of Rees-Zammit, Williams and long-term injured trio Jac Morgan, Taulupe Faletau and Dewi Lake, while Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny retired from international rugby after the World Cup in France.

“The (stadium) roof is going to be open,” Warren Gatland confirmed.

“Scotland want the roof open, which I think is a little bit disappointing from an atmosphere point of view because when that roof is shut it does tend to create a lot more atmosphere and noise in the stadium. But that is the decision that they made.”

Six Nations regulations state that both teams have to agree in order for the roof to be closed.

For Scotland, Blair Kinghorn has been ruled out of their first two matches with a knee injury, paving the way for Kyle Rowe to make his first international start at full-back against Wales.

The Toulouse number 15 becomes the second member of Scotland’s first-choice back three to be ruled out of the match in Cardiff and the following weekend’s visit from France, with free-scoring Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham also absent due to quad tightness.

Wales

15. C Winnett (Cardiff)
14. J Adams (Cardiff)
13. O Watkin (Ospreys)
12. N Tompkins (Saracens)
11. R Dyer (Dragons)
10. S Costelow (Scarlets)
9. G Davies (Scarlets)

1. C Domachowski (Cardiff)
2. R Elias (Scarlets)
3. L Brown (Dragons)
4. D Jenkins (Exeter, capt)
5. A Beard (Ospreys)
6. J Botham (Cardiff)
7. T Reffell (Leicester)
8. A Wainwright (Dragons)

Replacements:

16. E Dee (Dragons)
17. K Mathias (Scarlets),
18. K Assiratti (Cardiff)
19. Teddy Williams (Cardiff)
20. A Mann (Cardiff)
21. Tomos Williams (Cardiff)
22. I Lloyd (Scarlets)
23. M Grady (Cardiff)

Scotland

15. Kyle Rowe
14. Kyle Steyn
13. Huw Jones
12. Sione Tuipulotu
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Finn Russell (capt)
9. Ben White

1. Pierre Schoeman
2. George Turner
3. Zander Fagerson
4. Richie Gray
5. Scott Cummings
6. Luke Crosbie
7. Jamie Ritchie
8. Matt Fagerson

Replacements:

16. Ewan Ashman
17. Alec Hepburn
18. Elliot Millar-Mills
19. Sam Skinner
20. Jack Dempsey
21. George Horne
22. Ben Healy
23. Cameron Redpath