Rugby: Gatland names Jac Morgan sole captain for Wales vs Barbarians

Jac Morgan will captain the side by himself, having shared leadership duties with fellow Osprey Dewi Lake during the World Cup. Credit: PA

Head coach Warren Gatland has announced his 23-man squad ahead of the game against the Barbarians two weeks on Saturday.

It will be Wales' first match since their Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit, when they lost 29-17 to Argentina.

16 players who returned from France on Monday have been selected, with seven others added as Wales make their return to Cardiff and the Principality Stadium.

Ospreys back row Jac Morgan will take sole charge of captaining the team, having shared that responsibility with hooker Dewi Lake during the World Cup.

Warren Gatland announced his 23-man squad after confirming on Wednesday he will stay in his role as head coach. Credit: PA

The squad is made up of 13 forwards and 10 backs.

The players will meet a week on Monday at the WRU's National Centre of Excellence in Hensol ahead of the uncapped match.

Explaining his choices, Gatland said: “For this match we have a good mix of players who were part of the Rugby World Cup squad and some other players that we have worked with previously.“We’ve decided to go with a smaller squad than usual to prepare for the game because we wanted to help the regions as much as we can by not taking too many of their players away."

The head coach, who confirmed on Wednesday he will stay in the role as Wales look ahead to the next World Cup in 2027, has been forced to make some changes.

Winger Louis Rees-Zammit is amongst players who will not be available for the match. Credit: PA

Only players at Welsh clubs will be available, meaning the likes of Louis Rees-Zammit will not make an appearance.

There are also injuries to contend with following the tournament in France.

Looking to the future as he made the squad announcement, Gatland said: “Our next world cup cycle starts now. When you look at the potential of the players we have coming through it’s exciting.“We can be really excited about what we can achieve over the next four years and I look forward to working with these players and seeing them develop and grow."

Sam Costelow (left) will be looking to make his spot at fly-half permanent following Dan Biggar's retirement. Credit: PA

As Wales look ahead to the new post-2023 era, it's likely Sam Costelow will start at fly-half following the retirement of Dan Biggar.

While there are no debutants in the squad, their are two players who have only played once, with 10 of the 23-man squad having so far earned 10 caps or fewer.

Kick-off is at 2.30pm on Saturday 4 November.

FORWARDS: Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby – 6 caps), Nicky Smith (Ospreys – 46 caps), Elliot Dee (Dragons – 46 caps), Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 12 caps), Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby – 2 caps), Leon Brown (Dragons – 12 caps), Adam Beard (Ospreys – 51 caps), Ben Carter (Dragons – 10 caps), Teddy Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 1 cap), Dan Lydiate (Dragons – 72 caps), Jac Morgan, captain (Ospreys – 15 caps), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 2 caps), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons – 43 caps)

BACKS: Kieran Hardy (Scarlets – 18 caps), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 53 caps), Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 8 caps), Cai Evans (Dragons – 1 cap), Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby – 6 caps), George North (Ospreys – 118 caps), Johnny Williams (Scarlets – 7 caps), Rio Dyer (Dragons – 14 caps), Leigh Halfpenny (unattached – 101 caps), Tom Rogers (Scarlets – 3 caps)

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