Wales have been dealt a major injury blow with flanker Jac Morgan ruled out of Saturday’s Test match against South Africa and the summer tour to Australia.
Morgan, who was Wales’ World Cup co-captain with Dewi Lake last year, missed the Six Nations earlier this year because of a knee injury, and sustained a hamstring problem in the Ospreys’ United Rugby Championship quarter-final defeat.
The 22-year-old had been set to be a key figure for Warren Gatland as his side seek a first win of 2024, but the Welsh Rugby Union have announced that Morgan has been released from the squad, meaning he misses the Springboks encounter and Tests in Australia on July 6 and 13.
Though fellow openside Tommy Reffell emerged from a disastrous Six Nations campaign in credit, the Leicester Tigers back row is unavailable for this weekend’s clash with the Springboks at Twickenham.
The fixture falls outside of World Rugby’s international window, meaning members of the Welsh squad based in England are not released.
Gatland has therefore named an inexperienced line-up, with uncapped Cardiff scrum-half Ellis Bevan a starter and three more potential debutants on the bench.
Eddie James, Jacob Beetham and Jacob Ratti all await first caps, with the latter only called up on Tuesday amid a second row crisis.
Cardiff flanker James Botham, who arrived in camp on Monday, is handed a start alongside Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright in the back row, while the Japan-based Liam Williams returns to the back three.
The clash is taking place at the home of English rugby with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium unavailable due to a Taylor Swift concert.
Wales XV to face South Africa at Twickenham: Cameron Winnett; Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer; Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Henry Thomas; Matthew Screech, Ben Carter; Taine Plumtree, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Keiron Assiratti, James Ratti, Mackenzie Martin; Gareth Davies, Eddie James, Jacob Beetham.
Additional reporting by PA
