Uncapped Owen and Hope Earn Wales Call-Up for Nations Championship
Dragons duo Aneurin Owen and Che Hope are among 39 players selected for Wales' November Tests, with Dewi Lake named captain.
Uncapped Dragons centre Aneurin Owen and scrum-half Che Hope have been included in Steve Tandy's 39-strong Wales squad for the upcoming Nations Championship Tests. Hooker Dewi Lake has been named captain for the series.
Owen, who was part of the squad in the summer of 2021 but did not feature in any matches, earns his chance in the absence of injured Cardiff centre Ben Thomas. The 26-year-old has been a key player for the Dragons this season.
Scrum-half Hope, 23, receives his first international call-up and joins Tomos Williams and Reuben Morgan-Williams in the squad. This comes as Kieran Hardy faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
Dragon's wing Rio Dyer has been recalled, earning his 25th cap after a strong start to the season. He last featured for Wales against South Africa in November.
Lock Seb Davies and number eight Taine Basham, both from the Dragons and Cardiff respectively, are also called up for the first time under Tandy's tenure. Rhys Barratt, a loose-head prop from Cardiff, is the third uncapped player in the squad, having played against the Barbarians in the summer.
Notable absentees from the squad include Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell and fit-again number eight Taulupe Faletau. Lock Dafydd Jenkins, tight-heads Tomas Francis and Archie Griffin, hooker Liam Belcher, and centre Louie Hennessey return after missing the July Tests.
"It's great to welcome back the players who were unavailable for the first three rounds of the Nations Championship," Tandy stated. "Added to that, there are a number of players who've been in great form for their clubs and so we wanted to give them an opportunity in the squad this autumn."
The squad comprises 14 players from English clubs and one from Montpellier. Cardiff and Scarlets each have seven representatives, Dragons have six, and Ospreys have four. Back-row forward Taine Plumtree and centre Joe Hawkins have been permitted to travel to South Africa with the Scarlets for their fixture against the Stormers.
Wales are set to face Japan, New Zealand, and Australia in Cardiff, with their final match of the championship to be played against a southern hemisphere opponent at Twickenham.