As Liam is lone survivor
He also has Dragons tyro Elliot Dee breathing down his neck, hungry for his chance in the Test arena. LEON BROWN There are a number of people who have been tipping the Dragons tight-head for the big time.
A strong carrier in the loose, the 21-year-old looks to possess the frame to cope with the demands of international rugby.
If he can come through a significant scrummaging test against the Georgian front row, it will be a huge tick in the box. CORY HILL It was last November that Hill received a shock call-up to Gatland’s squad and his remarkable season ended with a call-up as one of the Lions ‘Geography Six’ in New Zealand.
Jake Ball and, in particular, skipper Alun Wyn Jones, put in big shifts in the boilerhouse against the Wallabies.
Hill needs a big game on Saturday if he is to play more than a bit part this autumn. ADAM BEARD The towering 6ft 8in Osprey has overtaken his Liberty team-mate Rory Thornton in the international pecking order and, having won his first cap this summer, is handed his first appearance on home soil.
Still only 21, he will have learned a lot working day-to-day alongside Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones. DAN LYDIATE (Capt) The British Lion makes his first international appearance since being stretchered off with a serious knee injury against the Springboks last autumn. Has needed a few games to find his feet since returning to fitness, but there have been glimpses of the Lydiate of old of late, particularly in Europe.
His defensive work is a given, but Lydiate will also look to be at the vanguard of Wales’ carrying game. SAM CROSS The fairytale continues.
At the start of last month, the Olympic sevens silver medallist was selected for the Ospreys Premiership Select against Munster in front of a few hundred hardy souls at St Helen’s and it barely raised an eyebrow. Tomorrow, he will run out at the Principality Stadium for his first Wales start with just two senior competitive regional appearances and a brief outing against the Wallabies under his belt. Gatland has admitted he is taking a major punt on Cross, who will hope to produce something similar to his Ospreys debut against Saracens last month. SEB DAVIES One of Welsh rugby’s players of the season so far, albeit in the second row.
Davies’s selection at No. 8 is the biggest head-turner of Gatland’s team to face Georgia, although the 21-yearold clearly possesses the raw ingredients to make the switch having been a revelation at the Arms Park, where he has featured at blindside flanker in the opening months of the Guinness PRO14 campaign.
Still, it’s a big ask for Davies – his first home start for Wales in a position alien to him.