Dragons players Ceri Sweeney, Colin Charvis and Michael Owen have been named in the Wales starting XV for the World Cup warm up game against England while Rhys Thomas is named on the replacements bench.
Gareth Thomas will be the first Welsh player to reach 50 career Test wins if the side he captains against England at Twickenham on Saturday emerge victorious.
Thomas will lead a new-look Wales team in the 116th match between the two Nations as head coach Gareth Jenkins runs his eye over potential Rugby World Cup squad members for one final time before he names his 30-man squad.
"It's important that we have a final look at certain players and combinations and this selection accommodates that," said Jenkins.
"It's the final opportunity for certain individuals to make a statement and after Saturday I'll be better placed to make the selection before the 14th of August."
Jenkins has selected his captain at inside centre partnering his Cardiff Blues colleague Tom Shanklin. Dafydd James, who missed Wales' tour of Australia through injury, is given a chance on the left wing and is joined by Aled Brew on the right. Lee Byrne fills the full back berth with Ceri Sweeney and Gareth Cooper forming the half back partnership.
Up front Will James is set to win the first cap of his career at the age of 30 and partners Rob Sidoli in the second row. Veteran back row Colin Charvis has passed a fitness test to be selected at flanker, Michael Owen is given his chance at No.8 and Alun-Wyn Jones completes the back row.
The front row is made up of Iestyn Thomas and the English-born Chris Horsman at prop with Huw Bennett at hooker. Tom James could also win his first cap if called up from the bench.
"Inside centre is one of the areas we are not absolutely clear about in terms of how our combinations are going to work, we are very comfortable with Gareth in that position and this is an excellent opportunity to give him another run there," said Jenkins.
"Gareth is well established and respected as a captain and the players will respond to him very well in Stephen's absence on Saturday.
"Stephen's injury - which we will know more about tomorrow - also gives Ceri Sweeney an opportunity he deserves to start at fly half. He hasn't had the chance for over a year at this level to start there and so should relish it.
"Up front it's the same story for us, again selection is about giving opportunity to players who didn't have a chance in the Six Nations.
"With Ryan Jones out Michael gets an opportunity at No 8 and Colin shows us how flexible and versatile an option he is by featuring at openside flanker.
"It was always going to be the case that the Australia tour would bring some players to the fore and that was the case for both of those players.
"Will (James) has impressed in training throughout the summer, he is not a young man at 30 but he is young in terms of rugby life, he has impressed everyone and has a real chance if he goes well on Saturday.
"We will be giving full respect to the tradition of this fixture and going out there looking to beat England and square the series.
"We hope to learn other things about our squad in the meantime but Wales teams have been travelling to Twickenham since 1910 and we want to join the other 51 sides that have notched up a 'W' against them."
England have achieved 9 successive victories at Twickenham, which matches the Welsh record at Cardiff Arms Park set between 1965 and 1981.
Results between the two sides currently give England a 52-51 lead with 12 matches drawn and Thomas, who earns his 95th cap could be the man to help Wales level the series.
"Because of injuries that have been making people unavailable to training in the last few weeks we have also added Nicky Robinson and Robin Sowden-Taylor to our camp to train with the squad," added Jenkins.
WALES: Lee Byrne; Aled Brew, Tom Shanklin, Gareth Thomas (Captain), Dafydd James; Ceri Sweeney, Gareth Cooper; Iestyn Thomas, Huw Bennet, Chris Horsman, Will James, Rob Sidoli, Alun-Wyn Jones, Colin Charvis, Michael Owen
REPLACEMENTS: Gethin Jenkins, Rhys Thomas, TRThomas, Alix Popham, Mike Phillips, James Hook, Tom James
TIME RUNS OUT FOR HENSON
Wales coach Gareth Jenkins today admitted Gavin Henson has run out of time in his bid to be a part of the nation's 2007 Rugby World Cup squad.
Henson, suffering largely from a lack of conditioning and game-time due to a series of injuries that have plagued him for a good two years - pelvis, knee, Achilles tendon and toe injuries - has been omitted from Jenkins' side to face England at Twickenham on Saturday.
"We have taken an early decision on Gavin and decided that he is no longer in contention for the Rugby World Cup squad which must be named before August 14th and so not considered him for selection against England," said Jenkins.
"We have given him every opportunity to make it and it's been a tough summer for Gav in which he has worked hard.
"He's had every opportunity we could have given him, but the recent Achilles injury in particular has meant he's not been able to train at full pelt and that has reflected in his conditioning. I think we all agree he is not where he needs to be.
"We have talked to him today and he is very understanding. It was a tough call but a call that was necessary and one we had to make sooner rather than later for his sake as well as ours.
"He is disappointed, but I think he's realised he's been fighting a bit of a losing battle in the last month.
"He's been unlucky, he's a talent we know that, but a talent is one thing. Current form and being as fit as everyone else is equally important, but Gav is not having the bounce he's not having the luck.
"He's an international standard rugby player he knows that and this doesn't mean his World Cup is necessarily over either.
"If his form is good and he's improved on fitness between now and September then he'll have a chance. Anything can happen in a World Cup and we may still need him yet if we get an injury."
Henson is obviously disappointed, but he has accepted his coaches decision.
"I can understand the decision that's been taken," added Henson.
"I know I'm not quite where I would like to be at the moment conditioning wise.
"All I can do now is train hard, get back to the Ospreys get my fitness back, get my form back and make myself available if called upon.
"I would have thought that I'd be at full fitness by September its just these games have come around too soon for me.
"It's been frustrating I've had to play catch up for a while and these games have come a bit too early for me.
"Its extremely disappointing for, as it is every players dream to play rugby for their country, and I've taken great pride in pulling on the Wales every time I've been selected and it would've been particularly special to do so at the World Cup.
"I'm only 25, I believe I'm still young and if I don't feature in this World Cup I hope I can feature in the next."
