Seven Cardiff Blues stars have been named in Wales’ 38-man squad for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations.
Dillon Lewis, Josh Navidi, Tomos Williams and Josh Adams all hold onto their places from the World Cup, and they are joined by versatile forward Seb Davies, fly-half Jarrod Evans and wing Owen Lane.
Hallam Amos, who was part of the Rugby World Cup squad was not considered for selection due to the ankle injury he suffered last week.
The squad also includes a further five players who have graduated through the Cardiff Blues development pathway - in Rhys Carré, Cory Hill, Leigh Halfpenny and the uncapped duo Will Griff John and Louis Rees-Zammit.
There are three further uncapped players included in Wasps lock Will Rowlands, Saracens centre Nick Tompkins and Scarlets star Johnny McNicholl.
“We are really excited to be naming our Six Nations squad and kicking the campaign off,” said Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
“A lot of time and effort has gone into selecting the squad, all of the coaches have been out and about, seeing players in training, speaking with them and we are pretty excited with the group we have got.
“Looking back to the Barbarians week, that was hugely important for us. We got a lot of ‘firsts’ out of the way, getting to meet and get in front of the players and having a game together was hugely beneficial.
“We do have a couple of injuries but we flip that into seeing it as an opportunity for some new players to impress, with not only the Six Nations in mind but also longer term and 2023.
“The Six Nations is hugely exciting for me, it is something I grew up watching from afar and it has such history attached to it, I’m really looking forward to the campaign.”
Wales’ 2020 Six Nations Squad:
Forwards (21)
Rhys Carre (Saracens) (6 Caps)
Rob Evans (Scarlets) (36 Caps)
Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (22 Caps)
Elliot Dee (Dragons) (29 Caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets) (9 Caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) (73 Caps)
Leon Brown (Dragons) (6 Caps)
WillGriff John (Sale) (*uncapped)
Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues) (22 Caps)
Jake Ball (Scarlets) (42 Caps)
Adam Beard (Ospreys) (20 Caps)
Seb Davies (Cardiff Blues) (7 Caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (134 Caps) (CAPTAIN)
Will Rowlands (Wasps) (*uncapped)
Cory Hill (Dragons) (24 Caps)
Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (18 Caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (72 Caps)
Ross Moriarty (Dragons) (41 Caps)
Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues) (23 Caps)
Justin Tipuric (Osprey) (72 Caps)
Backs (17)
Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (51 Caps)
Rhys Webb (Toulon) (31 Caps)
Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues) (16 Caps)
Dan Biggar (Northampton) (79 Caps)
Owen Williams (Gloucester) (3 Caps)
Jarrod Evans (Cardiff Blues) (3 Caps)
Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets) (25 Caps)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens) (*uncapped)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys) (22 Caps)
George North (Ospreys) (91 Caps)
Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues) (21 Caps)
Owen Lane (Cardiff Blues) (2 Caps)
Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets) (*uncapped)
Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester) (*uncapped)
Jonah Holmes (Leicester Tigers) (3 Caps)
Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (85 Caps)
Liam Williams (Saracens) (62 Caps)