WillGriff John has been selected to make his Test debut against Scotland on Saturday, as Wales coach Will Pivac makes four changes from the side defeated by England.
The Sale prop takes over from Dillon Lewis at tighthead, with Wyn Jones returning on the loosehead, while the fit-again Cory Hill comes in at lock and Rhys Webb starts at scrum-half.
It will be Webb’s first start for Wales since November 2017, with the Ospreys-bound 31-year-old having been ineligible under the 60-cap rule during his time with Toulon.
As for Hill, he hasn’t started a Test since February 2019, having been plagued by injury issues over the past 12 months.
He takes over Jake Ball who requires shoulder surgery and faces a lengthy lay-off having been hurt in the 33-30 defeat to England at Twickenham.
There are two changes on the bench, with Gareth Davies coming back into the match-day 23 as No 9 cover, while lock Will Rowlands has recovered from a knee problem to rejoin the replacements roster.
Three players drop out altogether - props Rob Evans and Dillon Lewis, plus scrum-half Tomos Williams, as the musical chairs continue in that position.
Skipper Alun Wyn Jones will equal the world record for Test appearances as he draws level with All Blacks legend Richie McCaw on 148 outings, including his nine Lions caps.
It will also be a big day for the man winning his first cap, WillGriff John.
The 27-year-old was born in Plymouth, but raised from a young age in the Rhondda and represented Wales U20s while on the books of Cardiff Blues.
After moving to New Zealand and spending two years playing for Northland, he returned to the UK in 2015 to join Doncaster and then signed for Sale in 2017.
He has established himself as one of the most solid props in the Premiership and, having earned a call-up to Wales’ Six Nations squad, he now gets his chance.
Looking ahead to the Scotland clash, head coach Pivac said: “Saturday is a great opportunity for us to wrap up the campaign with a big performance at home in Cardiff.
“We want to finish with the performance we know we can deliver and we have been working hard to get there.
“Alun Wyn is one of the most iconic figures in the game, he is our leader and I’m delighted for him as he continues to set the bar across the game.”
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny; George North, Nick Tompkins, Hadleigh Parkes, Liam Williams; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, WillGriff John; Cory Hill, Alun Wyn Jones (C); Ross Moriarty, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi.
Reps: Ryan Elias, Rhys Carre, Leon Brown, Will Rowlands, Taulupe Faletau, Gareth Davies, Jarrod Evans, Johnny McNicholl.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (C); Sean Maitland, Chris Harris, Sam Johnson, Blair Kinghorn; Adam Hastings, Ali Price; Rory Sutherland, Stuart McInally, Zander Fagerson; Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist; Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Magnus Bradbury.
Reps: Fraser Brown, Allan Dell, Willem Nel, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Duncan Weir, Kyle Steyn.
