James Botham, Lloyd Williams and the uncapped Willis Halaholo have been called up to the injury-hit Wales squad ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.
The Cardiff Blues trio are being drafted on board as cover for Dan Lydiate, Tomos Williams and Johnny Williams respectively.
After WalesOnline first reported the call-ups on Tuesday evening, the Welsh Rugby Union confirmed the news on Wednesday.
Flanker Lydiate will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury on his comeback appearance against Ireland on Sunday.
Scrum-half Tomos Williams will miss a number of games with hamstring damage, while centre Johnny Williams sits out the Scotland match after taking a head knock.
Back rower Botham comes back in after making an impressive start to his international career in the autumn.
He started three matches and showed his versatility by packing down on both the openside and blindside flanks.
The 22-year-old gets the nod over fellow young Blues breakaway Shane Lewis-Hughes. He offers huge work-rate, as demonstrated by his 19 tackles against England in November.
As for Lloyd Williams, he too made three appearances in the autumn after being called into the squad four years on from winning his last cap.
He is chosen ahead of Rhys Webb as the scrum-half to come in. Aged 31 and with that number of caps to his name, he will bring a lot of experience to the party, as well as slick service and a strong box-kicking game.
Turning to centre Halaholo, it’s another opportunity for him to make his mark with Wales after an initial false start.
He was named in Wayne Pivac’s first squad for the game against the Barbarians in November of 2019, shortly after completing his three-year residency qualification having come over from New Zealand in 2016.
But just days after being selected, he suffered a serious knee injury which was to keep him out for 11 months.
He had another six weeks on the sidelines at the end of 2020, but returned to action on New Year’s Day and looked sharp in the Blues’ back-to-back victories over the Scarlets.
The 30-year-old former Hurricanes star offers something different in midfield with his side-stepping ability and he’s a hard man to pin down when he’s on song.
There had been speculation that Jamie Roberts might receive a call-up following his fine form this season.
But the veteran centre hasn’t had the shout, so stays on regional duty with the Dragons, who host Edinburgh on Friday evening.
Wales have also lost winger Hallam Amos for the trip to Scotland due to the head injury he picked up in the 21-16 win over Ireland, but that is balanced by Liam Williams being available again after suspension.
Liam Williams is odds on to start on the wing up in Murrayfield, while Josh Navidi is the clear frontrunner to replace Lydiate on the blindside.
Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy and Lloyd Williams will contest the No. 9 jersey, with Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin and the uncapped Halaholo all options at 12.
