Wasps flanker Thomas Young has been rewarded for his fine club form with a call-up to the Wales squad for the Six Nations.
In Warren Gatland‘s final campaign as head coach of Wales, 26-year-old Young stands a chance to add to his 2 international caps after the late withdrawal of talismanic back row Taulupe Faletau who re-fractured his arm upon his return to match action with Bath at the weekend.
Wales have been lauded for the pedigree of their back row options, but with Ellis Jenkins and James Davies also set for lengthy spells on the sidelines Gatland named six players available to his at the tail of the scrum.
Ross Moriarty appears to be the most apt replacement for Faletau, who is set to miss eight weeks with his setback, while Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Josh Turnbull and a fit-again Josh Navidi will vie for a starting spot on the flanks.
Navidi is one of two players welcomed back from injuries by Gatland, though full-back Leigh Halfpenny has yet to be cleared by medical staff to play as he continues his recovery from a concussion suffered in the 9-6 victory over the Wallabies last autumn.
Captain Alun Wyn Jones is set to add to his 120 caps for his country in a squad that includes eight other British & Irish Lions.
“We are incredibly excited heading into the 2019 Guinness Six Nations and we are looking forward to kicking the tournament off in Paris against France,” Gatland said.
“We have a really experienced squad of players, who have been around a number of campaigns together and we feel we are in a pretty good place going into this huge year.
“We have got a few injuries and have selected a larger squad because of that. “We initially selected 40 players but that was reduced to 39 on Monday with Taulupe’s injury ruling him out.
“Six Nations rugby is an important time of year for rugby fans, players and coaches alike and we are all looking forward to meeting up and preparing for this year’s championship.”
Wales Six Nations 2019 squad:
Forwards: Rob Evans, Wyn Jones, Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Ken Owens, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Samson Lee, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Seb Davies, Cory Hill, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Ross Moriarty, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Josh Turnbull, Aaron Wainwright, Thomas Young.
Backs: Aled Davies, Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Jarrod Evans, Rhys Patchell, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Owen Watkin, Scott Williams, Josh Adams, Hallam Amos, Steffan Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Jonah Holmes, George North, Liam Williams
