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Hannah Jones captains new-look Wales in Canada Test

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Published in Rugby
Thursday, 25 August 2022 04:02

Hannah Jones will captain a new-look Wales for Saturday's World Cup warm-up Test against Canada in Halifax.

Regular skipper Siwan Lillicrap starts on the bench, while Jones is joined in the centre by debutant Carys Williams-Morris who has been cleared to play having previously represented England.

Wing Lowri Norkett makes her debut, while replacement scrum-half Eloise Hayward is in line for a first cap.

Olympian Jasmine Joyce returns to action after shoulder surgery.

This will be the first of two Tests in the build-up to the World Cup in October, where Wales have been drawn in Pool A with hosts New Zealand, Australia and Scotland.

Head coach Ioan Cunningham has made multiple changes to the side that enjoyed their best finish in the Six Nations in 13 years in 2022, when they finished third.

For rugby league international Norkett it will be a poignant first cap as she follows in the footsteps of younger sister Elli who featured in the 2014 World Cup before her life was tragically cut short in a car crash in 2017.

She joins a familiar looking backline in Joyce and Kayleigh Powell - with Joyce fully recovered from surgery in May.

Williams-Morris is given her chance in the centre after being given the all-clear by World Rugby to switch from England to Wales, with her parents hailing from north Wales.

The 28-year-old RAF officer won the last of her five caps for the Red Roses in 2019.

Ffion Lewis partners the experienced Elinor Snowsill in the half-backs.

The new-look pack sees a first opportunity of the year for hooker Kat Evans who joins Cara Hope and Donna Rose in the front row, while Abbie Fleming gets the nod in the second row alongside Natalia John.

Manon Johnes is also back in the side and joins Beth Lewis as flanker, with Sioned Harries at number eight after bursting back on to the international scene in the Six Nations.

Should Harries make the plane to New Zealand, it would be her fourth World Cup.

There is a wealth of experience on the bench with the likes of Lillicrap, Caryl Thomas and Kelsey Jones, while Georgia Evans is in line for a return to action after a serious arm injury in March.

Cunningham also has exciting young talent to turn to in Sisilia Tuipulotu, Lleucu George and Caitlin Lewis.

Canada are one of the big hitters in women's rugby and are currently ranked fourth in the world, while Wales are ninth.

Saturday will be their first Test on home soil in seven years. The two sides met in Cardiff in the 2021 autumn series where Wales threatened to claim a major scalp having led at half-time, before going down 24-7.

Wales have since turned fully-professional, with 31 players contracted until the end of the year, 29-full-time and two part-time.

Wales have been in Canada for a week as part of a training camp and Cunningham said it has "certainly served a valuable purpose in helping us to raise the standard of our preparation ahead of Rugby World Cup".

He added: "The players have worked really hard throughout this block and we are all looking forward to testing ourselves against on Saturday.

"The selection rewards players who have really impressed in training recently and also gives us a chance to see players we haven't seen in a Wales jersey as a management team.

"We are focussing 90% on us this week and trying not to worry too much about the opposition. We played them last autumn and trained against them in the week.

"They are impressive athletes and are really up for this home game, but we can't wait to see how we go."

Wales take on England at Ashton Gate on 14 September as their final preparation.

Canada: TBC

Wales: Kayleigh Powell; Jasmine Joyce, Carys Williams-Morris, Hannah Jones (capt), Lowri Norkett; Elinor Snowsill, Ffion Lewis; Cara Hope, Kat Evans, Donna Rose, Abbie Fleming, Natalia John, Beth Lewis, Manon Johnes, Sioned Harries

Replacements: Kelsey Jones, Caryl Thomas, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Georgia Evans, Siwan Lillicrap ,Eloise Hayward, Lleucu George, Caitlin Lewis.

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