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Uncapped Ellis Bevan to Start in Wales’ Opening Test against World Champions South Africa
London, June 22 – In their opening fixture of the year, the Wales national rugby union team have named uncapped scrum-half Ellis Bevan to start against the reigning world champion Springboks at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.
Bevan, hailing from Cardiff, will make his international debut, replacing the experienced Gareth Davies, who is relegated to the bench. Bevan will partner with fly-half Sam Costelow in the half-back pairing for the daunting encounter with South Africa.
Leading the young Welsh side as captain is hooker Dewi Lake, who will be flanked in the front row by loosehead prop Gareth Thomas and tighthead Henry Thomas. The second-row will feature the Dragons duo of Matthew Screech and Ben Carter, while the back row is completed by Taine Plumtree, James Botham and Aaron Wainwright.
“We have our backs to the wall a little bit this week, but we are really excited about the challenge on Saturday. Facing the world champions at Twickenham Stadium will be a great occasion, and we are relishing the opportunity to get out there and put in a performance.”
However, the Welsh camp received a blow as flanker Jac Morgan was ruled out of the summer fixtures due to a hamstring injury.
In the backline, Mason Grady and Owen Watkin will form the midfield partnership, while Liam Williams makes his first appearance for Wales since the 2023 World Cup, lining up alongside Rio Dyer on the wings. Cameron Winnett retains the fullback berth.
There are three potential debutants among the replacements, with Eddie James, Jacob Beetham and James Ratti all named in the reserves. Gareth Davies provides cover at scrum-half, with Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Keiron Assiratti and Mackenzie Martin completing the forward options on the bench.
Gatland expressed his confidence in the potential of the group, adding, “There’s a huge amount of potential in this team, and the next five weeks will be extremely important for us in terms of wanting to develop this team.”
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