Liam Williams will start at full-back for Wales in Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Ireland in Cardiff after injury ruled out Leigh Halfpenny.
Scarlets’ Halfpenny was due to make his first Wales start in 19 months but he has suffered a back spasm in training.
Joe Hawkins makes his Six Nations debut at inside center, after winning his first senior cap against Australia in the autumn. He joins Wales’ most-capped back George North in the midfield.
The front row features props Gareth Thomas and Tomas Francis with captain Ken Owens, and the tight five is completed by Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Beard.
The back row consists of Jac Morgan at blind-side flanker, Justin Tipuric at open-side flanker and Taulupe Faletau at No. 8. Fly half Dan Biggar returns to the Wales XV after missing the Autumn Nations Series due to injury. Scrum half is Tomos Williams.
Scroll down for the full Wales team to play Ireland.
Warren Gatland said:
“We’ve picked Joe at 12. He’s a lovely footballer with some great skills. I thought for his first cap he was outstanding so we’ve given him another opportunity. There’s some real competition in the midfield at the moment, so I’m really excited about that.
“Ireland are the number one team in the world, so they’re going to be coming here with a lot of confidence. You don’t become the number one team in the world without having some pretty consistent performances. We know how good they are and we’re expecting a really tough contest. It’s important for us that we start well, but we need to be in the game at the last 20mins.
“We’ve only had a couple of weeks together but I’m confident that the guys will go out and give a good account of themselves. They’re pretty excited about playing this first game at home.”
When is Wales vs Ireland:
The two sides will meet on Saturday 4 February 2023 and the match is set to kick-off 2.15pm GMT at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Tickets for the fixture have sold out but fans have been advised to go to the Welsh Rubgy Supporter Exchange if they wish to sell or buy tickets.
How to watch Wales vs Ireland:
The BBC will have all the coverage of the Six Nations. BBC One will begin their programme at 1.15pm ahead of the 2.15 start time and fans can tune in to the coverage on BBC iPlayer if they are unable to watch on TV.
Wales vs Ireland referee:
- Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Angus Gardner (RA)
- Assistant Referee 2: Luke Pearce (RFU)
- TMO: Tom Foley (RFU)
Wales team to play Ireland:
15. Liam Williams (Cardiff – 81 caps)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 43 caps)
13. George North (Ospreys – 109 caps)
12. Joe Hawkins (Ospreys – 1 cap)
11. Rio Dyer (Dragons – 3 caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Toulon – 103 caps)
9. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 40 caps)
1. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 17 caps)
2. Ken Owens (Scarlets – 86 caps) captain
3. Tomas Francis (Ospreys – 67 caps)
4. Adam Beard (Ospreys – 41 caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys – 155 caps)
6. Jac Morgan (Ospreys – 6 caps)
7. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys – 89 caps)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby – 95 caps)
Replacements
16. Scott Baldwin (Ospreys – 34 caps)
17. Rhys Carre (Cardiff Rugby – 17 caps)
18. Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby – 45 caps)
19. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs – 1 cap)
20. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 4 caps)
21. Rhys Webb (Ospreys – 36 caps)
22. Owen Williams (Ospreys – 3 caps)
23. Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys – 55 caps)