Rhys Webb is set to regain his place in the Wales team when coach Rob Howley names his line-up for their Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome on Sunday.

Webb has not played for his country since the first game of the autumn series against Australia and has only managed 97 minutes of rugby for the Ospreys due to an ankle injury.

But in two brief appearances for the Ospreys – lasting 57 minutes and then a further first-half – he appears to have done enough to win selection over his rival Gareth Davies.

Howley is due to name his team on Thursday morning and is expected to partner Webb with Dan Biggar at half-back, despite the pressing claims of their regional teammate Sam Davies.

Gloucester back rower Ross Moriarty is in line to take the place of the injured Taulupe Faletau at No.8, with deposed captain Sam Warburton set to be picked at blindside flanker to enable Justin Tipuric to stay at openside.

The other selection Howley has to ponder is who to name at loose-head prop in the absence of the injured veteran Gethin Jenkins.

That choice is between Nicky Smith of the Ospreys and the Scarlets’ Rob Evans, with Smith likely to win the place as Evans has yet to hit top form after a wrist injury that kept him out of the first half of the season.

With Luke Charteris having joined Faletau on the injured list, Jake Ball is likely to win a place in the second row alongside new skipper Alun Wyn Jones.

Italy have already named their side and included 10 of the starting line-up that accounted for South Africa in November.

Edoardo Gori’s return at scrum-half instead of Giorgio Bronzini represents a solitary change from the back division that started the Springboks clash in Florence.

That means no place for in-form Exeter centre Michele Campagnaro, who is named on the bench by Azzurri boss Conor O’Shea, with Luke McLean and Tommaso Benvenuti continuing their midfield partnership.

Skipper Sergio Parisse, meanwhile, will win his 122nd cap, packing down in a back-row that also includes Six Nations debutant Maxime Mbanda.

Wales will head to Rome’s Stadio Olimpico chasing an 11th successive victory against Italy.

Italy: E Padovani (Zebre); G Bisegni (Zebre), T Benvenuti (Treviso), L McLean (Treviso), G Venditti (Zebre); C Canna (Zebre), E Gori (Treviso); A Lovotti (Zebre), O Gega (Treviso), L Cittadini (Bayonne), M Fuser (Treviso), G Biagi (Zebre), A Steyn (Treviso), M Mbanda (Zebre), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).

Replacements: L Ghiraldini (Toulouse), S Panico (Calvisano), P Ceccarelli (Zebre), J Furno (Zebre), F Minto (Treviso), G Bronzini (Treviso), T Allan (Treviso), M Campagnaro (Exeter).

Wales (probable): L. Halfpenny; L. Williams, J. Davies, S. Williams, G. North; D. Biggar, R. Webb; N. Smith, K. Owens, S. Lee, J. Ball, A. W. Jones (capt), S. Warburton, R. Moriarty, J. Tipuric.