Francis named in Welsh squad

By Mark Stevens
15/1/19

Warren Gatland has named Tomas Francis amongst a 39-man Welsh squad for the upcoming 2019 Guinness Six Nations Championship.

The Exeter Chiefs prop - who enjoyed a hugely successful Autumn period, including scoring his first-ever Test try against South Africa - is one of four tight-head options selected by Gatland, alongside the likes of Leon Brown, Samson Lee and Dillon Lewis.

Francis has amassed 34 international caps since making his debut against France in a warm-up fixture ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

Elsewhere, experienced Ospreys lock Alun Wyn Jones will once again lead Wales into battle for the tournament, which starts for them against the French in Paris on February 1.

Wales – who finished second in last year’s Championship with three wins from five – are coming off the back of an unprecedented perfect Autumn International series during which they beat Scotland, Australia, Tonga and South Africa in Cardiff.

And continuity is the name of the game for Gatland’s final Guinness Six Nations squad – with the coach leaving his role following the Rugby World Cup later this year.

“We are incredibly excited heading into the 2019 Guinness Six Nations and we are looking forward to kicking the tournament off in Paris against France,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

“We have a really experienced squad of players, who have been around a number of campaigns together and we feel we are in a pretty good place going into this huge year.

“We have got a few injuries and have selected a larger squad because of that. We initially selected 40 players but that was reduced to 39 on Monday with Taulupe Faletau’s injury ruling him out. Six Nations rugby is an important time of year for rugby fans, players and coaches alike and we are all looking forward to meeting up and preparing for this year’s Championship.”

WALES SQUAD FOR 2019 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS

FORWARDS: Rob Evans (Scarlets), Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Leon Brown (Dragons), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Seb Davies (Cardiff Blues), Cory Hill (Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Dragons), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) Josh Turnbull (Cardiff Blues), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Thomas Young (Wasps)

BACKS: Aled Davies (Ospreys), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues), Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), Dan Biggar (Northampton), Jarrod Evans (Cardiff Blues), Rhys Patchell (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets), Owen Watkin (Ospreys), Scott Williams (Ospreys), Josh Adams (Worcester), Hallam Amos (Dragons), Steffan Evans (Scarlets), Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets), Jonah Holmes (Leicester), George North (Ospreys), Liam Williams (Saracens)