Former England star called up to the Wales' Six Nations squad

Dewi Lake has been named captain, whilst Rio Dyer, Callum Sheedy and Tommy Reffell were all cut from Tandy’s side.

Included in the side are two debutants: Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Louie Hennessey. The Leicester winger and Bath centre will aim to wear the red jersey of Wales for the first time this campaign. But who are they? Why have they been selected? And what could they bring to a Wales side desperate for a revolution?

The 25-year-old makes his first Wales squad having become a regular in Leicester Tigers’ matchday 23 in the last four weeks. Born in Bath, Hamer-Webb attended Beechen Cliff school, tied to Bath Rugby. However, it wasn’t rugby that was his first athletic interest, having trials with Southampton, Bristol City and Yeovil Town football clubs.

Following his pursuit of academy football, he signed an academy contract with Bath Rugby. He made his debut for the club in a Premiership Rugby Cup fixture against Exeter, which they lost. He proceeded to make his Premiership debut against Wasps, as well as his Champions Cup debut against Ulster, later in the season.

Alan Dickens selected the winger for the England U20s squad for the 2020 Six Nations, where he made his debut against France in the first match. He received a yellow card for a tip-tackle on scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec. In 2023, Hamer-Webb headed to New Zealand, where he played for the Southland Stags in the Bunnings NPC. He featured eight times for the Stags, scoring two tries and playing more and more minutes as he got comfortable in the 15 shirt.

He moved to Cardiff for the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship season, where he started to integrate back into Northern Hemisphere rugby once again. Paired with one game on loan at Northampton Saints, the winger featured seven times for the Blues, scoring three tries.

It was last season where Hamer-Webb started to become a regular at Arms Park. He played 17 times for Cardiff, starting in 14 of those games. Nine tries were seen over his last campaign, which helped him earn a move to Premiership side Leicester Tigers for this season.

So far this campaign, the winger has played seven matches for the Tigers. He started in all three of Leicester’s PREM Rugby Cup games, which they won all three. He only came back into the squad for Leicester’s clashes with Exeter and Saracens in the festive period, before starting in both of Leicester’s last European matches.

The Cardiff-born centre has started to break through in the ranks at Bath Rugby this year, seeing the 21-year-old selected for Wales’s Six Nations, just two years after his last U20s appearance for Wales. Hennessey started his rugby journey with Llanishen RFC at just six-years-old. He won both the DC Thomas Cup with Cardiff Schools U11s and the Dewar Shield with Cardiff Schools U16s in his youth.

Partnering with Cardiff Academy, he went to Hartpury College. Hennessey picked up a league title, where his side won all ten of their fixtures, all whilst he was captain. This earnt him a contract with Bath Rugby, where he went onto study at the University of Bath.

The centre made his Bath debut in the Premiership Rugby Cup in September 2022, during a loss at home to Gloucester. He would make his first Wales U20s squad later that year, starting in four of the five fixtures that year. He would keep his place in the squad during the U20 World Championship, playing in all five games.

He would make his Premiership debut in November 2023, against Northampton Saints, and would score his first try away at Leicester Tigers in December of that year. He would continue to play for Wales U20s this campaign, starting three of their Six Nations matches, before playing the whole U20s World Championship campaign.

Hennessey would continue to play for Bath, playing in eight of Bath’s cup matches on their way to winning the competition, only missing the final. He continued to add more Premiership and Champions Cup matches to his resume.

He re-signed with Cardiff on a short term-loan as injury cover in January 2025. He featured in just the one match, their New Year’s Day draw at home to the Ospreys.

So far this season, Hennessey has only been a part of five matchday squads for Bath, starting two of his three Premiership involvements this campaign. However, he was selected for Wales’s Autumn Nations Series squad, but was uncapped.