Wales head coach Warren Gatland has named five uncapped players in his squad for the 2024 Six Nations, four of which come from the nation’s capital city of Cardiff. Wales have entered a new era, solidified in 21-year-old with lock Daffyd Jenkins becoming the country’s youngest ever captain.
Gatland named Jenkins as captain in Tuesday’s squad announcement, as he takes over the reigns for the new generation of Wales players. However, Wales will be without their formidable speedster Louis Rees-Zammit, as the 22-year-old shockingly quit rugby union an hour before Gatland named his squad, to pursue an American football career in the NFL.
There has been a real changing of the Welsh guard in 2024, with multiple legends parting ways with the national side both before and after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb ended their international careers ahead of the tournament, whilst the likes of Liam Williams, Cory Hill and Dan Biggar all ended their time in the red jersey after their quarter-final exit to Argentina.
Gatland’s newest Wales squad sees five uncapped players join the fray, and a further eight talents look to gain their first tastes of Guinness Six Nations competition. The eight newcomers to Rugby’s Greatest Championship are; props Keiron Assiratti, Kemsley Mathias and Corey Domachowski, full-back Cai Evans, centre Joe Roberts and lock Teddy Williams and Scarlets fly half duo Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd.
The five uncapped players? Well, here is a run-down of all you need to know about those fresh Welsh faces.
1. Alex Mann – Cardiff Rugby (Back Row)
Versatile back-row Alex Mann is the first of four Cardiff players on this list, and boasts an adaptable skillset across both flanks and number eight. Predominately running out at blindside flanker at the Arms Park, Mann has started all 10 matches he’s been involved in this season in the number six jersey. The 22-year-old has previously gained international recognition in a ‘secondary position’, as he played number eight for Wales U20s throughout the 2022 U20 Six Nations.
Mann is an unbelievable engine around the pitch, and currently tops the United Rugby Championship’s tackle count with 114, and ‘back in the game’ statistic. This unorthodox stat measures the speed and efficiency of players, that get back into position after taking contact or making a tackle. Mann made his Cardiff senior debut against Harlequins in the 2020 Champions Cup, and has steadily progressed into one of Alex Sherratt’s most dependable defenders.
2. Mackenzie Martin – Cardiff Rugby (Back Row)
A second back-rower to explode out of the Welsh capital, Mackenzie Martin is a promising young talent that excels in the number eight jersey. The 20-year-old has featured for Cardiff seven times, with four consecutive starts coming at the back of the scrum. Martin is a dangerous ball-carrier and had been consistently battering his way through the URC defences this season. Martin also grabbed a try on his Champions Cup debut in this past campaign, as he crossed over against Top 14 giants Toulouse back in December.
Martin spoke after playing Toulouse: “It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true. I’ve made two starts on the bounce, three appearances and it’s all come pretty quickly. Playing Toulouse was a great experience individually and as a team. We didn’t come away with a result but it was still a good experience. Martin has previously made 12 caps for the Wales U20s, with his upwards trajectory well tracked by Warren Gatland, following his call-up into the Six Nations squad.