MACLEOD GETS A WALES CALL
JOSH Macleod has been handed another chance to win his first Wales cap.
The Scarlets flanker was last week named in Wayne Pivac’s squad for the Six Nations.
Macleod was named in the squad for the autumn internationals last year but did not feature after picking up an injury before the campaign began.
He is the only uncapped player in the 36-man squad.
Macleod is one of 11 Scarlets players called up by Pivac as Wales look to bounce back from a poor 2020.
Scarlets captain Ken Owens also returns to the fold having missed out in the autumn through injury, and he is joined by fellow hooker Ryan Elias and prop Wyn Jones.
Jake Ball is included despite announcing he is leaving Wales at the end of the season to rejoin his family in Australia.
Scrum-halves Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy will do battle with Tomos Williams for the No. 9 shirt, with centres Jonathan Davies and Johnny
Williams and back-three men Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams making up the Scarlets contingent.
Props Rob Evans and Samson Lee, flanker James Davies and fly-half Rhys Patchell are among those to
miss out through injury.
Wales head coach Pivac said: “The Guinness Six Nations is an important tournament and we have selected a squad accordingly. As we consistently spoke about, the autumn for us was about opportunity and development, looking ahead to RWC 2023 and it served that purpose for us.
“This campaign is different, it is tournament rugby and we are excited to get going and to play our part.
“We have picked a squad for this tournament based on form and we are excited to get our preparation under way.”
SQUAD FORWARDS: Rhys Carre, Wyn Jones, Rhodri Jones, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Ken Owens, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Will Rowlands, Cory Hill, Dan Lydiate, Josh Navidi, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau, Josh Macleod, Justin Tipuric.
BACKS: Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy, Dan Biggar, Callum Sheedy, Jarrod Evans, Johnny Williams, Jonathan Davies, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, George North, Josh Adams, Hallam Amos, Louis Rees-zammit, Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams.