It’s been a difficult time for Welsh fans of late. Household names bearing the Welsh dragon on their chest have since been all but replaced by young and inexperienced prospects desperately trying to fill the void that was once a roaring crest.
Despite being on their worst-ever losing streak of 15, this weekend Wales have named the same squad in consecutive matches for the first time since their 2019 World Cup matches against Georgia and Australia.
Many fans have seen this as a major positive, particularly considering their valiant effort against Ireland in the last round.
“I thought across the board there some really good performance and I’m obviously keen to let them go again,” said Interim head coach Matt Sherratt.
“It was as cohesive as we could have asked for with the amount of prep time that we had, it’s a reward for that really.”
The four-time grand slam winners have struggled drastically over the past two years, but with the return of Ospreys captain Dewi Lake, Sherratt hopes that his side can finally start to rebuild.
“Dewi coming back in, he’s been captain of his country, captain of the Ospreys, a very good player, just having him back in training last week, you can see his quality very easily. He’ll be massive for us and obviously allows us to finish the game pretty strongly as well.”
The consistency of naming an unchanged XV is designed to rebuild the much-needed team cohesion within the Welsh ranks as the young squad heads into the midway point of the World Cup cycle.
“This week we’ve challenged ourselves to keep improving,” Sherrett continued. “We want to keep the same intent and bravery as we showed last time out, but make sure that we are building on our game.
“The fallow week was difficult as we only had 13 or 14 lads in. I’d have loved to have that week to continue the growth of the team, but it’s just confirmed what I thought after the first two days, that they’re just a very good group, very, very coachable.”
With a combined cap difference of 268, the aforementioned 2019 lineup against the Wallabies could not look more different to the squad on display in 2025.
CHOFU, JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 29: Alun Wyn Jones of Wales walks past Australia players at the tunnel prior to the start of the second half during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Group D game between Australia and Wales at Tokyo Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
The 2019 starting team included a 130-cap captain, Alun Wyn Jones, while Saturday’s leader Jac Morgan boasts just 21 appearances. Although the current squad does include the vastly experienced Taulupe Faletau, 106 caps, his addition is much the exception in the current group. This current squad has an average of 26.1 caps, compared to the formerly successful 2019 squad which averaged 37.7 caps.
Just under 22% of the 2019 team remains, with Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, Tomos Williams, Aaron Wainwright and Taulupe Faletau all being given the nod while others have retired or otherwise.
Starting XV vs Australia 2019:
Wyn Jones – 18 caps
Ken Owens – 71 caps
Tomas Francis – 42 caps
Jake Ball – 42 caps
Alun Wyn Jones (c) – 130 caps
Aaron Wainwright – 13 caps
Justin Tipuric – 68 caps
Josh Navidi – 20 caps
Gareth Davies – 45 caps
Dan Biggar – 73 caps
Josh Adams – 14 caps
Hadleigh Parkes – 21 caps
Jonathan Davies – 76 caps
George North – 88 caps
Liam Williams – 59 caps
Total for Starting XV: 780 caps
Replacements:
Elliot Dee – 21 caps
Nicky Smith – 33 caps
Dillon Lewis – 15 caps
Aaron Shingler – 22 caps
Ross Moriarty – 33 caps
Tomos Williams – 10 caps
Rhys Patchell – 12 caps
Owen Watkin – 22 caps
Total for Replacements: 168 caps
Overall Combined Caps: 868 caps
Starting XV vs Scotland 2025:
Nicky Smith – 52 caps
Elliot Dee – 54 caps
WillGriff John – 3 caps
Will Rowlands – 39 caps
Dafydd Jenkins – 21 caps
Jac Morgan (c) – 21 caps
Tommy Reffell – 25 caps
Taulupe Faletau – 106 caps
Tomos Williams – 62 caps
Gareth Anscombe – 40 caps
Ellis Mee – 1 cap
Ben Thomas – 10 caps
Max Llewellyn – 6 caps
Tom Rogers – 8 caps
Blair Murray – 6 caps
Total for Starting XV: 454 caps
Replacements:
Dewi Lake – 18 caps
Gareth Thomas – 38 caps
Keiron Assiratti – 12 caps
Teddy Williams – 4 caps
Aaron Wainwright – 55 caps
Rhodri Williams – 7 caps
Jarrod Evans – 9 caps
Joe Roberts – 3 caps
Total for Replacements: 146 caps
Overall Combined Caps: 600 caps
It’s worth noting that both sides elected experienced players in both playmaking positions, averaging roughly 50 caps each.
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