Jamie Roberts To Captain Wales As 13 New Boys Fill Gaps Left By Lions

Jamie Roberts will bring experience to a youthful Wales squad when he leads a party that includes 13 uncapped players on tour to the South Seas this summer.

The 30-year-old Wales centre has been named captain for the two Test trip to play Tonga and Samoa.

Head coach Robin McBryde has named a 32-man squad for the campaign with eight of the newcomers among in the forwards.

Adam Beard, Seb Davies, Ryan Elias, Ollie Griffiths, Wyn Jones, Rory Thornton and Thomas Young could all make their Wales debuts.

In the backs, Aled Davies, Steff Evans, Keelan Giles, Owen Williams, Rhun Williams and Tomos Williams complete the total of 13 without full caps.

But there are some notable omissions – despite 12 Welsh players on duty with the Lions – with Cardiff Blues scrum-half Lloyd Williams, Scarlets fly-half Rhys Patchell and the region’s flanker James Davies all overlooked. Josh Navidi and Gareth Anscombe have been recalled.

Wales take on Tonga on Friday 16th June at Eden Park (17:30 local time) as part of a double-header, followed by New Zealand versus Samoa. A week later, McBryde’s men face Samoa in Apia on Friday 23rd June (19:30).

“We’ve got a good mix of experience and youth in this squad,” said McBryde.

“The senior players will be expected to display their leadership qualities, and we want the younger men to show they’ve got what it takes to handle the intense international environment.”

Roberts, capped 91 times by Wales, said leading his country in the southern hemisphere will be one of the proudest achievements of his career.

The Harlequins player said: “I’m immensely honoured to be named captain of Wales for this year’s summer tour.

“It’s a proud moment for myself, but more importantly for my family and a position of responsibility that I will take huge pride in. I’m excited for the new players in the squad as they get the chance to test themselves at this level, and also for the more established players who now have a chance to become leaders in this team.”

Wales squad:

Forwards: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues), Seb Davies (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Ollie Griffiths (Newport Gwent Dragons), Cory Hill (Newport Gwent Dragons), Ellis Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Wyn Jones (Scarlets), James King (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Rory Thornton (Ospreys), Thomas Young (Wasps).

Backs: Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues), Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Aled Davies (Scarlets), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Steff Evans (Scarlets), Keelan Giles (Ospreys), Tyler Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons), Jamie Roberts (captain, Harlequins), Owen Williams (Leicester Tigers), Rhun Williams (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues).

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