Wales announce 33-player squad, lock Jenkins out

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has confirmed a 33-player squad for the team's opening matches in the inaugural Nations Championship this July. The squad, captained by hooker Dewi Lake, includes two uncapped players and will be without key lock Dafydd Jenkins due to injury.

Wales will begin their campaign against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, July 4. They will then travel to face Argentina in San Juan on July 11 and South Africa in Durban on July 18. All matches will be broadcast live on ITV and S4C in the United Kingdom.

The final squad was trimmed from an extended training group following a 33-31 victory over the Barbarians in an uncapped warm-up match at Twickenham on Saturday, June 27. Tandy stated the selection process involved difficult decisions, with the goal of building depth and competition ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The two new faces are Exeter Chiefs back-row forward Kane James and Ospreys tighthead prop Ben Warren. Their inclusion comes amid several injury-enforced absences. Most notably, lock Dafydd Jenkins has been ruled out after suffering a shoulder injury in Exeter's Premiership final defeat, which requires surgery. He is expected to return in...