Tom James will make his first Wales appearance for more than five years in Sunday’s Six Nations opener against Ireland. The Wales head coach Warren Gatland has also handed starts to the flanker Justin Tipuric, the full-back Gareth Anscombe and the prop Rob Evans.
Wales’s captain, Sam Warburton, moves from openside to blindside flanker while the centre Jonathan Davies, who missed the World Cup last autumn because of a knee ligament injury, is reunited in midfield with Jamie Roberts.
The Scarlets full-back Liam Williams, who had been tipped for a return, has not made the cut while Gethin Jenkins also drops down to the bench for what the Wales coach anticipates will be a physical match.
Gatland said the club form of James, the Cardiff Blues wing, had earned him his chance to add to his 10 caps. “We have been impressed with Tom James’s form for Cardiff Blues and we are excited by the mix of the back row which has played well together before,” said the coach.
“It’s great to see Jonathan [Davies] back and alongside Jamie, which makes a pretty experienced midfield. Gareth [Anscombe] at full-back also gives us the option of having two first receivers. We have a very experienced bench with a lot of caps there and hopefully they will come on and make an impact.
“It’s going to be a physical game. Two years ago they strangled us out of the match and played well and we have to rise to that challenge on Sunday.”
A powerful bench features the British and Irish Lions players Alex Cuthbert, Jenkins and Dan Lydiate.
Wales team to play Ireland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 3pm Sun 7 Feb
G Anscombe (Cardiff Blues); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Harlequins), T James (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets); R Evans (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing 92), AW Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements K Owens (Scarlets), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), T Francis (Exeter), B Davies (Wasps), D Lydiate (Ospreys), L Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Priestland (Bath), A Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues).
