GATLAND PICKS CHARTERIS AND THOMAS IN 32-MAN SQUAD
Wales coach Warren Gatland has named Newport Gwent Dragons lock Luke Charteris and prop Rhys Thomas in the 32-man squad to prepare for the matches against South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Australia at the Millennium Stadium in the 2008 Invesco Perpetual Series next month.
Five uncapped players have also been named in the squad. Up front Sale Sharks' 21-stone prop Eifion Roberts, from St Asaph in Denbighshire, adds his considerable weight to the front row options and Blues back row forward Andy Powell earns a call up to a squad picked primarily on form, but which also shows loyalty to some of Gatland's prior selections.
In the backs the international door has been opened to young Ospreys fly half Dan Biggar and Blues wing Leigh Halfpenny - both of whom featured in the Wales U20's side which finished fourth in the Invesco Perpetual Junior World Championship last summer - alongside 22-year-old Scarlets scrum half Martin Roberts.
"This squad is larger than I would normally select and we may reduce it after we get the first two games under our belts, but the current size reflects the fact that we could be asking some players to turn out three times in the space of 13 days," said Gatland.
"The Ospreys players, for example, are currently due to play for their Region on the Sunday before the South Africa game and with the Canada match coming only six days later we will need to use our squad correctly.
"But we have an exciting month of rugby ahead of us. The Welsh Rugby Union worked hard to ensure we have the three top Southern Hemisphere teams coming to Cardiff.
"These sides have consistently been the top three in world rugby for many years and we will be relishing the opportunity to play each of them.
"We have made no secret of our ambition to climb the world rankings and it is only by meeting these sides regularly and ensuring that we are able to compete that we stand a chance of achieving our aims."
Gatland says his new selections are a reflection of current form as well as the need to expand his squad, but he admits he has also shown some loyalty in selecting players who may have otherwise suffered through lack of game-time.
"Andy Powell has been playing well for some time and his performance at the weekend was there to convince us of his ability if we had needed any convincing," continued Gatland.
"Eifion Roberts is another who has been on the radar and he now gets his chance to sample life at international level.
"It's particularly pleasing to be able to select two players in Daniel Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny who stood out for Wales in the Junior World Championships in the summer and Martin Roberts has shown enough for his region to be deserving of his chance.
"Robin Sowden-Taylor is just coming back from injury, but we are looking for him to come through and provide cover in the back row during the course of the four-match series and there are one or two others who we have shown some loyalty towards.
"Gavin Henson, for example, was outstanding for us during the Six Nations last year. He's one of our world class players and, when fit, he is always going to be in our thoughts."
Wales squad:
BACKS: Gareth Cooper, Dwayne Peel, Martin Roberts, Stephen Jones, James Hook, Daniel Biggar, Jamie Roberts, Andrew Bishop, Tom Shanklin, Gavin Henson, Shane Williams, Mark Jones, Leigh Halfpenny, Lee Byrne, Morgan Stoddart
FORWARDS: Gethin Jenkins, Duncan Jones, Huw Bennett, Matthew Rees, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Eifion Roberts, Rhys Thomas, Alun-Wyn Jones, Ian Gough, Ian Evans, Luke Charteris, Dafydd Jones, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams, Robin Sowden-Taylor, Ryan Jones (Captain)
WALES SQUAD - AUTUMN 2008
Gareth COOPER (GLOUCESTER RUGBY - Cap No 985)
DoB: 07.05.79. 5'7" / 1.71m. 13st 6lbs / 85kgs
International record: 37 caps (W 17, L 20; 40 pts - 8T)
Dwayne PEEL (SALE SHARKS - Cap No 994)
DoB: 31.08.81. 5'9" / 1.76m. 13st 8lbs / 86kgs
International record: 61 caps (W 27, L 32, D 2; 25 pts - 5T)
Martin ROBERTS (SCARLETS - Uncapped)
DoB: 06.06.86. 5'9" / 1.76m. 12st 1lb / 77kgs
International record - Uncapped
Stephen JONES (SCARLETS - Cap No 966)
DoB: 08.12.77. 6'1" / 1.86m. 14st 12lbs / 94kgs
International record: 72 caps (W32, L38, D2; 629 pts - 6T,115C,120PG,3DG)
James HOOK (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,047)
DoB: 27.06.85. 6'0" / 1.83m. 14st 3lbs / 90kgs
International record: 27 caps (W 11, L 15, D 1; 184 pts - 6T,32C,28PG,2DG)
Dan BIGGAR (OSPREYS - Uncapped)
DoB: 16.10.89. 6'2" / 1.88m. 13st 9lbs / 87kgs
International record: Uncapped
Jamie ROBERTS (CARDIFF BLUES - 1,057)
DoB: 08.11.86. 6'4" / 1.93m. 16st 10lbs / 107kgs
International record: 3 caps (W 1, L2; 5 pts - 1T)
Andrew BISHOP (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,059)
DoB: 07.08.85. 6'0" / 1.83m. 14st 2lbs / 90kgs
International record: 1 cap (L 1)
Tom SHANKLIN (CARDIFF BLUES - Cap No 993)
DoB: 24.11.79. 6'2" / 1.88m. 15st 9lbs / 99kgs
International record: 54 caps (W 25, L 28, D 1; 90 pts - 18T)
Gavin HENSON (OSPREYS - Cap No 990)
DoB: 01.02.82. 6'0" / 1.83m. 15st 7lbs / 98kgs
International record: 28 caps (W 16, L 11, D 1; 130 pts - 3T,29C,18PG,1DG)
Shane WILLIAMS (OSPREYS - Cap No 976)
DoB: 26.02.77. 5'7" / 1.71m. 12st 13lbs / 82kgs
International record: 58 caps (W 29, L 27, D 2; 215 pts - 43T)
Mark JONES (SCARLETS - Cap No 984)
DoB: 07.11.79. 6'2" / 1.88m. 14st 5lbs / 91kgs
International record: 41 caps (W 17, L 22, D 2; 60 pts - 12T)
Leigh HALFPENNY (CARDIFF BLUES - Uncapped)
DoB: 22.12.88. 5'10" / 1.77m. 13st 1lb / 83kgs
International record: Uncapped
Lee BYRNE (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,041)
DoB: 01.06.80. 6'3" / 1.91m. 15st 4lbs / 97kgs
International record: 19 caps (W 8, L 10, D 1; 25 pts - 5T)
Morgan STODDART (SCARLETS - Cap No 1,056)
DoB: 23.09.84. 6'1" / 1.86m. 14st 9lbs / 93kgs
International record: 2 caps (L 2; 5 pts - 1T)
Gethin JENKINS (CARDIFF BLUES - Cap No 1,006)
DoB: 17.11.80. 6'2" / 1.88m. 18st 9lbs / 118kgs
International record: 60 caps (W 25, L 33, D 2; 15 pts - 3T)
Duncan JONES (OSPREYS - Cap No 997)
DoB: 18.09.78. 6'0" / 1.83m. 17st 8lbs / 112kgs
International record: 52 caps (W 23, L 27, D 2)
Huw BENNETT (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,017)
DoB: 11.06.83. 6'0" / 1.83m. 17st 5lbs / 110kgs
International record: 18 caps (W 11, L 7)
Matthew REES (SCARLETS - Cap No 1,033)
DoB: 09.12.80. 6'0" / 1.83m. 16st 9lbs / 106kgs
International record: 22 caps (W 10, L 11, D 1; 10 pts - 2T)
Richard HIBBARD (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,048)
DoB: 13.12.83. 6'0". 18st 13lbs / 120kgs
International record: 6 caps (L 6)
Adam Rhys JONES (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,018)
DoB: 08.03.81. 6'0" / 1.83m. 20st 5lb / 129kgs
International record: 49 caps (W 26, L 21, D 2; 5 pts - 1T)
Eifion ROBERTS (SALE SHARKS - Uncapped)
DoB: 13.02.81. 6'1" / 1.86m. 21st 3lbs / 135kgs
International record: Uncapped
Rhys THOMAS (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS - Cap No 1,049)
DoB: 31.07.82. 82. 6'1" / 1.86m. 17st 6lbs / 111kgs
International record: 5 caps (L 5)
Alun-Wyn JONES (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,046)
DoB: 19.09.85. 6'5" / 1.96m. 18st 9lbs / 118kgs
International record: 23 caps (W 9, L 14; 15 pts - 3T)
Ian GOUGH (OSPREYS - Cap No 964)
DoB: 10.11.76. 6' 6" / 1.98m. 18st 9lbs / 118kgs
International record: 52 caps (W 23, L 26, D 3; 5 pts - 1T)
Ian EVANS (OSPREYS - Cap No 1,045)
DoB: 04.10.84. 6'8" / 2.04m. 18st 3lbs / 116kgs
International record: 14 caps (W 6, L 7, D 1; 5 pts - 1T)
Luke CHARTERIS (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS - Cap No 1,030)
DoB: 09.03.83. 6'9". 17st 3lbs
International record: 7 caps (W 4, L 3)
Dafydd JONES (SCARLETS - Cap No 1,008)
DoB: 24.06.79. 6'3" / 1.90m. 17st 0lbs / 108kgs
International record: 31 caps (W 12; L 19; 10 pts - 2T)
Andy POWELL (CARDIFF BLUES - Uncapped)
DoB: 23.08.81. 6'4". 17st 13lbs
International record: Uncapped
Martyn WILLIAMS (CARDIFF BLUES - Cap No 944)
DoB: 01.09.75. 6'0" / 1.83m. 15st 13lbs / 101kgs
International record: 81 caps (W 38, L 40, D 3; 73 pts - 14T, 1DG)
Robin SOWDEN-TAYLOR (CARDIFF BLUES - Cap No 1,032)
DoB: 09.06.82. 6'1" / 1.86m. 15st 5lbs / 98kgs
International record: 5 caps (W 2, L 3)
Ryan JONES (OSPREYS, CAPTAIN - Cap No 1,029)
DoB: 13.03.81. 6'5" / 1.96m. 18st 0lbs / 114kgs
International record: 23 caps (W 13, L 9, D 1; 5 pts - 1T)
