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Wales Name Same Team For Paris, So Taulupe Faletau, Sam Davies And Steff Evans Have To Wait

San Davies - 2018 - Credit Simon King Replay Images

San Davies - 2018 - Credit Simon King Replay Images

Wales have named an unchanged team to face France in Paris on Saturday, where Ken Owens will win his 50th cap. The Wales hooker is part of the same 23-man squad that beat Ireland for the final match of the Six Nations. Coach Rob Howley – whose team could finish anywhere between second and fifth in the tournament depending on the last day results – has said his players deserve to retain their places.

Wales have named an unchanged team to face France in Paris on Saturday, where Ken Owens will win his 50th cap.

The Wales hooker is part of the same 23-man squad that beat Ireland for the final match of the Six Nations.

Coach Rob Howley – whose team could finish anywhere between second and fifth in the tournament depending on the last day results – has said his players deserve to retain their places.

It means no first starts for Sam Davies or Steff Evans and no recall for Taulupe Faletau who remains on the bench.

Owens, who made his international debut at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, lines up alongside Rob Evans and Tomas Francis in the front-row.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones and Jake Ball are named in the second-row with Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty completing the forward pack.

Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar are named at half-back with Scarlets duo Scott Williams and Jonathan Davies partnering in the midfield.

Liam Williams, George North and Leigh Halfpenny again comprise the back-three.

“I was delighted for the players at Friday’s result and performance and they deserve the opportunity to build on that in our final RBS 6 Nations encounter,” said Howley.

“The experience we showed and the intensity we brought to the match was hugely important and that will just as important as we face good France team at home.

“We put pressure on ourselves and turned that pressure into a result. For us there are areas of the game we want to work on from Ireland and we have an opportunity to do that on Saturday and finish the campaign with another quality performance.

“The players who took to the field at Principality Stadium, deserve the opportunity to start and we were pleased with the impact from the bench so will be looking for the same this weekend.”

On the bench, Scott Baldwin, Nicky Smith, Samson Lee, Luke Charteris and Faletau provide the forward cover.  Gareth Davies, Davies and Jamie Roberts are the backline replacements.

WALES TEAM TO PLAY FRANCE:
Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon) (70 Caps)
George North (Northampton Saints) (68 Caps)
Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (63 Caps)
Scott Williams (Scarlets) (45 Caps)
Liam Williams (Scarlets) (41 Caps)
Dan Biggar (Ospreys) (55 Caps)
Rhys Webb (Ospreys) (27 Caps)
Rob Evans (Scarlets) (16 Caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) (49 Caps)
Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (21 Caps)
Jake Ball (Scarlets) (25 Caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys)(109 Caps) (CAPTAIN)
Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues) (73 Caps)
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (50 Caps)
Ross Moriarty (Gloucester Rugby) (16 Caps)

Replacements:
Scott Baldwin (Ospreys) (32 Caps)
Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (11 Caps)
Samson Lee (Scarlets) (33 Caps)
Luke Charteris (Bath) (73 Caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (65 Caps)
Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (24 Caps)
Sam Davies (Ospreys) (6 Caps)
Jamie Roberts (Harlequins) (90 Caps)

 

 

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