Ken Owens has been named the new Wales captain as Warren Gatland made a number of interesting calls in his 2023 Six Nations squad.
Scarlets hooker Owens has replaced Justin Tipuric as skipper in Gatland's first big selection since returning to the Wales hot-seat following the sacking of Wayne Pivac.
Gatland's 37-strong squad includes four uncapped players and a number of key figures returning from the Kiwi's previous reign in charge.
Locks Rhys Davies and Teddy Williams get their first call-ups, while midfield duo Keiran Williams and Mason Grady have also been given their first chance to impress in camp.
Meanwhile, veteran scrum-half Rhys Webb has returned to the fold alongside loosehead prop Rhys Carre, who was controversially left out by axed Pivac before the catastrophic autumn campaign.
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In-form Ospreys back Owen Williams has earned a recall, with Rhys Patchell and Aaron Wainwright also named in Gatland's squad.
But back row powerhouse Ross Moriarty and prop Nicky Smith were among the notable omissions ahead of the Six Nations opener against Ireland on February 4.
Liam Williams, Wyn Jones and Dewi Lake return from injury after missing the autumn series and will all be keen to make an impact against the championship favourites in Cardiff next month.
And 86-capped Owens takes the armband for the first time after flanker Tipuric had assumed the role from Dan Biggar in a disastrous autumn that included a shock defeat to Georgia.
Ken Owens will lead Wales for the first time (©INPHO/Ashley Crowden)Explaining his captaincy decision, Gatland said: "Ken’s incredibly experienced and a passionate Welshman – it means a lot to him to play for Wales. He’s also very popular with the players.
"He came back from injury and was absolutely outstanding during the autumn campaign. Probably, if you’re picking a team at the moment he’s the number one in that position. But he’s going to have some competition with Dewi [Lake] and Bradley [Roberts] as well which is going to be great.”
Gatland also has one eye on the World Cup later this year and wants takes a closer look at some emerging uncapped young talents from the Welsh regions before the tournament in France.
"It’s probably a bigger squad than I’d normally name, but we want to have a good Six Nations and also look forward to the World Cup," he added.
Veteran scrum-half Webb has earned a recall (AFP via Getty Images)“We’ve some youngsters that have come in and then we’ve some older very experienced players that we need to manage.
"It’s looking at the whole element for the squad and how we get the balance right, because that’s definitely going to be a challenge over the next 10 months."
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Wales Six Nations squad:
Forwards: Rhys Carre, Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Ken Owens (capt), Bradley Roberts, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Rhys Davies, Dafydd Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Teddy Williams, Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric, Christ Tshiunza, Aaron Wainwright.
Backs: Kieran Hardy, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Dan Biggar, Rhys Patchell, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, George North, Nick Tompkins, Keiran Williams, Josh Adams, Alex Cuthbert, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Liam Williams.
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