Wales to play Test in DC

Warren Gatland believes that Wales’ clash against South Africa in Washington DC next month will take players “out of their comfort zone”.

The Wales head coach has named a 31-man squad for the Springboks encounter, which is followed by two Tests against Argentina in South America.

Gatland has appointed Dragons lock Cory Hill and Cardiff Blues flanker Ellis Jenkins as co-captains for the trip and rested a number of players who were involved in last summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

The sizeable contingent of absentees include Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams, although Gatland has only chosen one uncapped player in Cardiff scrum-half Tomos Williams.

Wales will face South Africa at the 45,500-capacity RFK Stadium, and Gatland said: “I will be looking forward to having a different crowd and different atmosphere and being in a city we have not experienced before.”