By Paul Jones
Taulupe Faletau will play his first game for Wales since the 2023 Rugby World Cup after being named on Thursday in the starting line up for their vital Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome on Saturday.
In a boost for beleaguered Wales coach Warren Gatland, Faletau’s selection is one of two changes to the side that was heavily beaten in Paris last Friday in the opening game of this year’s tournament.
Wales are on a run of 13 defeats and were they to extend that beyond this weekend, it would make Gatland’s position begin to look untenable as well as see the side slip below Georgia to 12th in the world rankings.
Back row forward Faletau, who has won 104 caps for Wales and four for the British & Irish Lions, has not played a test since Wales’ last win – a 2023 World Cup pool victory over Georgia – after breaking his arm in that game then suffering a fractured shoulder when he returned for Cardiff six months later.
The 34-year-old replaces Aaron Wainwright, who suffered a deep cut to his face in the 43-0 defeat to France, but who has trained this week after being cleared of any facial fracture and been included among the replacements.
Gatland said of Faletau, “He wasn’t quite ready for last week but he’s ready to go. It’s a confidence boost.
“He brings experience and X-factor. We know what a quality player he’s been for Wales. Having him back gives us confidence.
“He’s trained well. He wasn’t quite right last week with his knee.
“It’s been tough for him. We are looking for some of those special traits he has to try and inspire people around him.”
Wainwright’s inclusion on the bench means that Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell drops out of the 23-man selection.
Scarlets centre Eddie James is handed his first start as he comes into the team in place of Owen Watkins, who suffered a suspected knee ligament tear against France and could be out for the rest of the season.
James, who has won three caps off the bench, will partner with Nick Tompkins in the midfield.
“This has been an important week with a lot of hard work put in during training,” added Gatland as the team travelled to Rome from their training camp in Nice.
“We want to be accurate and disciplined on Saturday. It’s about our execution and how we manage the game.
“We know Italy are a quality side with physical players and are looking forward to a good contest. We’re excited for the challenge on Saturday.
“We’ve spoken as a group about how important this game is for us. Players have taken some leadership and ownership this week. You try to be positive as much as you can. You try not to look at the white noise from the outside.
“That’s hugely important. We are focusing on ourselves and preparing for this week. Every game is important. People throw out comments – ‘It’s a must win game’ – but you don’t talk about that as a group.
“You concentrate on preparation and those things take care of themselves. We didn’t express ourselves as much as we could have last week. We need to make sure we execute and take our chances.”
Wales: 15-Liam Williams, 14-Tom Rogers, 13-Nick Tompkins, 12-Eddie James, 11-Josh Adams, 10-Ben Thomas, 9-Tomos Williams, 8-Taulupe Faletau, 7-Jac Morgan (captain), 6-James Botham, 5-Dafydd Jenkins, 4-Will Rowlands, 3-Henry Thomas, 2-Evan Lloyd, 1-Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16-Elliot Dee, 17-Nicky Smith-18-Keiron Assiratti, 19-Freddie Thomas, 20-Aaron Wainwright, 21-Rhodri Williams, 22-Dan Edwards, 23-Blair Murray.
