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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Katie Sands

Wales release two players on eve of Australia match

Wales have released Will Rowlands and WillGriff John just days before the autumn finale against Australia.

The Dragons lock and Scarlets tighthead prop both suffered a concussion in last weekend's victory over Fiji but will now play no further part in Wales' autumn campaign, which ends on Saturday against the Wallabies.

Wayne Pivac has not called up any replacements for the duo.

As for who partners Adam Beard in the second row, it now looks set to come down to a choice between Seb Davies - who is being looked at as a hybrid No.6/lock - and rookies Ben Carter, Christ Tshiunza and Rhys Davies. Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys hailed 19-year-old Tshiunza's debut off the bench on Sunday, and has admitted he is likely to feature again soon so one would think he will be involved in the matchday 23.

As for the tighthead situation, Tomas Francis is also a doubt after suffering concussion last Friday but is progressing through return-to-play protocols.

Any potential replacements with Test experience, like Samson Lee and Leon Brown, are also injured, so it leaves Dillon Lewis as the only fit specialist No. 3. He was hailed by Humphreys as putting in an "incredible" effort for 75 minutes against Fiji after not training all week due to issues with both feet.

Wyn Jones will be on standby to cover tighthead should Francis be ruled out.

Late calls will be made on Josh Adams (calf) and Aaron Wainwright (shoulder).

Pivac names his Wales team to face Australia on Thursday.

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