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Rugby World Cup: Wales name Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake as co-captains for tournament

Last updated on .From the section Welsh Rugbycomments533

Team-mates, room-mates and now co-captains - Lake and Morgan

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has chosen flanker Jac Morgan and hooker Dewi Lake as co-captains for the 2023 World Cup in France.

They will lead a 33-man squad that only includes two specialist scrum-halves in Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies, with Kieran Hardy left out.

The party contains injured players Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe.

Wales open their Pool C campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September.

There are further group games against Portugal, Australia and Georgia.

Props Corey Domachowski and Henry Thomas are included having won their first senior caps for Wales during the summer series matches this August, while 20-year-old Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins is the youngest member of the squad.

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There are 16 players included in the squad who have not been involved at a World Cup.

The 15 players left out from the extended 48-man squad are Keiron Assiratti, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Parry, Taine Plumtree, Teddy Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Cai Evans, Kieran Hardy, Max Llewellyn, Joe Roberts, Tom Rogers, Keiran Williams and Owen Williams.

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Wales 33-man squad for World Cup

Forwards: Taine Basham, Adam Beard, Elliot Dee, Corey Domachowski, Ryan Elias, Taulupe Faletau, Tomas Francis, Dafydd Jenkins, Dewi Lake (co-captain), Dillon Lewis, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan (co-captain), Tommy Reffell, Will Rowlands, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Henry Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs: Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Rio Dyer, Mason Grady, Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Liam Williams, Tomos Williams.

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Co-captains, scrum-half surprise

Gatland indicated he would consider the co-captains option and the young appointments evoke memories of Sam Warburton being appointed as a 22-year-old for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, when Gatland masterminded a run to the semi-finals.

Wales have lost the experience of former captains Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Ken Owens to international retirement and injuries. Morgan and Lloyd have played 20 internationals between them.

Morgan captained Wales in two of the three warm-up games, the opening win against England in Cardiff and final loss to South Africa, while hooker Lake led the side in the defeat to England at Twickenham.

"They are two young players who will complement each other well," said Gatland.

"They are good mates and have a good relationship. It's a good opportunity. It is something that I have never done before. They have got a big future ahead of them."

Wales have only chosen two specialist scrum-halves in Williams and Davies. The last occasion Wales only took two scrum-halves to a World Cup was 2003, when wing Shane Williams covered the number nine role as a third option.

It has allowed Gatland to name an extra back with Leigh Halfpenny preparing for his third World Cup alongside George North, who will become the fifth Wales player to appear in four global tournaments after Gareth Thomas, Stephen Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.

"If we do pick injuries, it is not too far of a distance to go," said Gatland.

"We'd had a discussion with the players right from the start that the tipping point could be we take two nines or three 10s. There was no certainty about anyone being selected in the squad.

"There is potentially a point there where you have got to make a concession and look at a bit of depth.

"Probably all along we were thinking of three nines, and we were just looking at some depth in our back three, and covering players that are getting on a little bit and whether they can back up in all the games.

"We just wanted a bit more cover in that back three."

Gatland indicated if one of the scrum-halves was injured in the warm-up of a game then Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow could act as number nine cover.

"If we do have a head injury assessment (HIA) and someone's out then we are going to have to potentially make a call on whether we call someone into the squad," said Gatland.

"We know we've taken a risk. Other teams have done the same thing.

"You've got a pinching point in the squad somewhere in terms of the numbers but those nines (Davies and Williams) have been robust and we are confident they are going to be fine.

"If we get a HIA then we'll need to look at that, address it, and see what happens."

Injury issues

Gatland currently has up to seven players carrying niggles ahead of their World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September.

Fly-half Anscombe and number eight Faletau are the only members of the squad who have not featured in any of the three warm-up games.

Hookers Lake and Ryan Elias, plus lock Dafydd Jenkins suffered injuries during Wales' home and away appointments with England and are battling to be fit to face Fiji.

Fly-half Dan Biggar (back) and full-back Liam Williams (hamstring) pulled out of the South Africa defeat because of minor problems, in moves that were labelled "precautionary".

There are only three specialist locks in Will Rowlands, Adam Beard and Jenkins, with Christ Tshiunza adding another second-row option while also able to play in the back row.

New Scarlets signing Taine Plumtree picked up a shoulder injury against England at Twickenham which hampered the back-five forward's chance of selection.

"Taine is unlucky," said Gatland.

"Over the next couple of weeks you are probably looking at the amount of players that can take part in training and some live sessions. He's unfortunately drawn the short straw in terms of that.

"I had a chat to him this morning and said to him be ready in case there's potentially an opportunity. I spoke to him last week about where he was at with his injury.

"It was always going to be a tight call whether we were going to take him."

World Cup games

Wales v Fiji, Bordeaux, Sunday, 10 September 20:00 BST

Wales v Portugal, Nice, Saturday, 16 September 16:45 BST

Wales v Australia, Lyon, Sunday, 24 September 20:00 BST

Wales v Georgia, Nantes, Saturday, 7 October 14:00 BST.

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Comments

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533 comments

  • Comment posted by Eman Yalpisd, at 13:39 21 Aug

    Congratulations to all selected. I'm sure people will have their favourites but as a nation let's get behind the boys.

    🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Cymru am byth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 13:48 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Absolutely. Hopefully a good travelling contingent for the group games especially.

      No obligatory RWC game in Cardiff means all the more reason to back the team out in France.

  • Comment posted by Harleking, at 13:44 21 Aug

    Big day for a lot of these players.

    All the best lads, hope you have a good tournament.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 14:29 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      And commiserations to those who missed out. The training camps look/sound pretty horrific, even if they’re getting paid as professionals. Lots of effort with no reward at the end of it.

      Some of them will surely be involved due to injuries at some point in the tournament, so hopefully they come in and make an impact if/when that happens.

      Otherwise tough luck in difficult circumstances.

  • Comment posted by greg, at 14:24 21 Aug

    for god,s sake this is the best we can put out at the mow ...wonder years are gone the new welsh team is in the making... STOP picking get behind the boys and for once show the welsh supp... win loose or draw it.s our team support OUR BOYS in france

    • Reply posted by ic1cle, at 17:31 21 Aug

      ic1cle replied:
      Totally agree. Relax and enjoy the something very very special Gats says they’re going to produce. It’s a final minimum.

  • Comment posted by macster, at 14:21 21 Aug

    As an outsider I think Gatland is doing the best with the players available, I understand his frustration with the performance against England with the lack of attacking intent when we were down a couple of players but that can be put right I’m impressed with young Morgan & there are a couple of youngsters for the future, sadly my lot 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 are going backwards hope all home teams do well

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 14:54 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Personally would have liked to see what Pivac could have done at a RWV but nevermind. Gatland does have a knack for managing to coat himself in Teflon in ways other coaches don’t.

  • Comment posted by Harry, at 14:37 21 Aug

    Go and get them.
    From an Englishman.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 14:55 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      You know we’ll probably end up playing each other in the quarters, right?

  • Comment posted by RichardJT, at 14:31 21 Aug

    Forget the negativity, this is the squad and we need to get behind the boys in France.

    • Reply posted by Hatzenbach, at 15:12 21 Aug

      Hatzenbach replied:
      For all 3 matches until the return journey...

  • Comment posted by Hopalongprop, at 14:00 21 Aug

    Great blend of youth & experience & a team that can go far in the WC. Don't think Wales have the firepower to trouble the big four atm but if the boys make it to the semis then, with a dash of added confidence who knows.
    Pob lwc Cymru

    • Reply posted by dirty harry, at 14:03 21 Aug

      dirty harry replied:
      A semi is possible, and when you get there after a confidence building run, against a team battered and bruised, maybe a tired team who's tackle attempt didnt quite drop low enough...

      Who knows. But your right, unlike 2011, 2015, and 2019 the firepower just isnt there

  • Comment posted by flibb, at 13:47 21 Aug

    As expected for the most part. Perhaps one or two shocks being the absence of a third scrum half, and only 3 locks. Great for Halfpenny and Lydiate to make it after major injury troubles.

    Big congrats to both Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan. A chance for a new generation to pave the way for hopefully some sort of future progress.

    Win that first game against Fiji and who knows what can happen!

    • Reply posted by dirty harry, at 13:59 21 Aug

      dirty harry replied:
      Tsuinza is the 4th lock, that's why the extra back rower in Lydiate is going

  • Comment posted by Robbiemaw, at 15:29 21 Aug

    As an Englishman, albeit with a Welsh grandma and both Scottish grandparents, I wish the team all the best and feel more confident in them and their coach than their England equivalents. Considering all the problems of the WRFU they're already showing a lot of guts and character.

    • Reply posted by Thegreatpoobar, at 16:05 21 Aug

      Thegreatpoobar replied:
      I will second that.

      Wales have a good world cup record.

  • Comment posted by dave williams, at 14:20 21 Aug

    This is building a squad for the next world cup in 4 years time.they do well reachingquarter finals

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 14:34 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Doubt there will be too many involved in 4 years time from this bunch tbh given there’s a fair bit of talent in the U20s, particularly in the backs.

      That narrative is as much about getting the media off their back than anything else. No one in that camp will be thinking about 2027.

  • Comment posted by taffyghadaffi, at 14:32 21 Aug

    Great to see so many positive comments

  • Comment posted by Hywel Dda, at 14:23 21 Aug

    Sure the warmups were a binfire (second half v England in Cardiff excluded), but there's plenty of genuine promise here. Maybe Gats will be right and Wales will surprise a few people, or if not, we can at least all enjoy watching some great rugby in the other half of the draw.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 15:25 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Both first halves against England were good enough, showed defensive discipline and commitment, even against a team that cannot score tries.

      That’s something to build on but will definitely need to be better against Fiji, who absolutely can score tries and will break down stubborn defences.

  • Comment posted by Peter John, at 13:51 21 Aug

    All things considered Warren Garland has selected a pretty good squad. Am confident we will get out of the group with these boys and after that who knows.....?

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 13:54 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Exactly that. Get past Fiji then it’s hopefully just a case of enjoying the rest of the group games. There’s 13 days between playing Oz and Georgia, so a long time to prepare for the QF should they beat Fiji (Georgia surely won’t be the ones to cause an upset).

  • Comment posted by alunm, at 15:27 21 Aug

    It's a new era for Welsh Rugby. We might not do much in this World Cup but I for one am optomistic for the future. Good luck and I hope we can get out of a tough group.

  • Comment posted by redone, at 15:44 21 Aug

    The Rhondda props not good enough IMHO. Surprised one made the squad. Adam Beard will be used against Georgia and Portugal , nowhere near good enough when pressure is on. No aggression.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 15:58 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Domachowski looks good and could make great strides during the tournament.

  • Comment posted by dai, at 15:17 21 Aug

    Fiji are quite capable of beating Wales, have deep reserves of pride and passion which can knock the confidence of a team with new caps like Wales. Last time Georgia met wales, Georgia won. Two big games...not forgetting the Aussies. Going on what happened in previous World Cups I am not even going to suggest how things will go. As long as they play their very best, like a dragon for the dragon.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 15:20 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      Fiji definitely capable but no excuse for Wales to lose as it’s first up, they should be fit and fresh, and as great as some of their stars are, Wales should do a job on them and grind out a win.

      Georgia are worse than Italy and Wales should be getting a try bonus point victory without too much hassle.

  • Comment posted by MeMe, at 15:15 21 Aug

    Good luck to all the guys selected and commiserations to those who missed, but keep your heads up and be ready for that call-up. WALES needs everyone.

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 15:20 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      …apart from AWJ and Tipuric, apparently.

  • Comment posted by greg, at 14:45 21 Aug

    all these players will play there hearts out for wales get behind them

    • Reply posted by Invicta48, at 15:13 21 Aug

      Invicta48 replied:
      All these players will play their hearts out for Wales, get behind them. Just thought I'd help you out with the English, Greg.

  • Comment posted by Londonwelshmongrel, at 15:01 21 Aug

    Costelow as 9 cover too is going to be busy, steep learning curve - good luck to the lad

    • Reply posted by flibb, at 22:52 21 Aug

      flibb replied:
      In reality, unlikely to be needed.

      Eddie Jones took the risk last time around, which proved to be silly as England went the distance, Heinz got injured before the final, and they had to fly Ben Spencer out to the other side of the world.

      It's a bit different with it being in France in terms of replacing injured players.

      9s are very rarely injured, little contact etc, hence only going for 2.

  • Comment posted by The Mouse King, at 13:47 21 Aug

    'Wales open their Pool C campaign against France in Bordeaux on 10 September.'
    ...erm...what?!

    • Reply posted by Harleking, at 13:51 21 Aug

      Harleking replied:
      Haven't you heard? Due to social media uproar there has been a redraw to give France a better chance.

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