Wales confirm squad for Australia tour

Senior men’s head coach Waren Gatland has confirmed the 34-player squad that will travel to Australia on 26 June.

Wales will play two Test matches against the Wallabies in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as a fixture against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.

Dewi Lake will captain the 597-cap squad for the tour.

Three uncapped players are listed among the 19 forwards and 15 backs named today: hooker Efan Daniel (Cardiff Rugby) plus wingers Regan Grace (Bath Rugby) and Josh Hathaway (Gloucester Rugby).

Keiron Assiratti and Elliot Dee have been ruled out of the trip down under, Assiratti due to a back injury and Dee after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained prior to Wales camp. Henry Thomas also misses out on selection as he continues to recover from a foot injury.

Gatland said:  “We’re expecting two fiercely contested Test matches down under and are also pleased to be able to play a third fixture against the Queensland Reds.

“I’m excited about this Wales squad. We know Australia is a tough place to go and play rugby, but we are relishing the challenge.

“We are focusing on getting better as a group. This is a young squad that’s still learning at this level. There are lots of positives and good things that we can build on from the weekend and there are also areas that we will be working hard to address over the next few weeks.”

WALES SQUAD FOR AUSTRALIA TOUR

Forwards (19)

Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby – 10 caps)
Kemsley Mathias (Scarlets – 3 caps)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 31 caps)
Efan Daniel (Cardiff Rugby – uncapped)
Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 13 caps) captain
Evan Lloyd (Cardiff Rugby – 3 caps)
Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby  – 1 cap)
Dillon Lewis (Harlequins – 57 caps)
Harri O’Connor (Scarlets – 2 caps)
Ben Carter (Dragons – 12 caps)
Cory Hill (Secom Rugguts – 32 caps)
Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs  – 17 caps)
Matthew Screech (Dragons – 2 caps)
Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs  – 10 caps)
James Botham (Cardiff Rugby  – 11 caps)
Mackenzie Martin (Cardiff Rugby  – 4 caps)
Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 3 caps)
Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers  – 18 caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons  – 49 caps)

Backs (15)

Ellis Bevan (Cardiff Rugby – 1 cap)
Gareth Davies (Scarlets – 77 caps)
Kieran Hardy (Scarlets – 21 caps)
Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 13 caps)
Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby – 12 caps)
Eddie James (Scarlets – 1 cap)
Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby  – 2 caps)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens  – 36 caps)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys – 39 caps)
Rio Dyer (Dragons – 20 caps)
Regan Grace (Bath Rugby – uncapped)
Josh Hathaway (Gloucester Rugby – uncapped)
Liam Williams (Kubota Spears – 90 caps)
Jacob Beetham (Cardiff Rugby – 1 cap)
Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby – 6 caps)

2024 AUSTRALIA TOUR FIXTURES

Saturday 6 July: Australia v Wales
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
KO 10.55h BST / 19.55h local time

Saturday 13 July: Australia v Wales
AAMI Park, Melbourne
KO 10.55 BST / 19.55h local time

Friday 19 July: Queensland Reds v Wales
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
KO 10.55 BST / 19.55h local time