Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France
31 - 20
FT
Six NationsFranceJustin Tipuric

Wales name team for France

Wales name Six Nations squad (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Wales have named their team to take on France on Friday evening in their opening match of the 2019 Six Nations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Warren Gatland’s will be captained by Alun Wyn Jones, making his 49th appearance in the tournament.

Jones lines up in the second-row alongside fellow Osprey Adam Beard with Josh Navidi returning from injury to start in the back-row alongside British & Irish Lions Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty.

In the front-row Rob Evans and Tomas Francis pack down alongside Ken Owens who becomes Wales’ most capped hooker, making his 61st appearance for his county.

Tomos Williams will make his first Six Nations appearance at scrum-half lining up alongside regional teammate Gareth Anscombe at fly-half.

Scarlets duo Hadleigh Parkes and Jonathan Davies continue their partnership in midfield with Josh Adams, George North and Liam Williams comprising the back-three.

Wales, who finished second in the tournament in 2018, face France in Paris on Friday before travelling to Rome to play Italy the weekend after. Warren Gatland’s team is currently on a nine match winning streak and Wales’ head coach knows the importance of starting their campaign well.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We are looking forward to kicking off the Six Nations and kicking off our 2019 campaign as a whole,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

“We come into the game on an impressive run of results but we know how tough it will be to face France in Paris in the tournament opener.

Video Spacer

“It will be a huge contest but we are excited going into it. We have a great deal of experience across the team and on the bench and we want to kick things off well on Friday.”

Elliot Dee, Wyn Jones and Samson Lee provide Wales’ front-row replacements with Dragons pair Cory Hill and Aaron Wainwright completing the forward contingent. The experience continues on the bench with Gareth Davies, Dan Biggar and Owen Watkin providing the backline cover.

ADVERTISEMENT

WALES TEAM TO PLAY FRANCE:
(Friday February 1st KO 21.00 Local, 20.00 UK – BBC ONE)
15. Liam Williams (51 Caps)
14. George North (79 Caps)
13. Jonathan Davies (68 Caps)
12. Hadleigh Parkes (11 Caps)
11. Josh Adams (6 Caps)
10. Gareth Anscombe (21 Caps)
9. Tomos Williams (6 Caps)
1. Rob Evans (31 Caps)
2. Ken Owens (60 Caps)
3. Tomas Francis (36 Caps)
4. Adam Beard (8 Caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (120 Caps) (CAPT)
6. Josh Navidi (11 Caps)
7. Justin Tipuric (60 Caps)
8. Ross Moriarty (26 Caps)

REPLACEMENTS:
16. Elliot Dee (13 Caps)
17. Wyn Jones (10 Caps)
18. Samson Lee (38 Caps)
19. Cory Hill (22 Caps)
20. Aaron Wainwright (3 Caps)
21. Gareth Davies (36 Caps)
22. Dan Biggar (65 Caps)
23. Owen Watkin (8 Caps)

ADVERTISEMENT

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

1

'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

2

Newcastle DoR Steve Diamond to learn fate Friday

3

Paul Gustard's club future back on table after Prem buyout fails

4

Ben Healy one of 3 fly-halves locked down by Edinburgh in one swoop

5

Frontrunner to replace Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt firms up as contender says 'No'

6

'I could see how much it meant to my dad, me playing for Wales, rather than England'

7

All Blacks-beating world record holder calls it quits after 18 years

8

Gatland: 'Probably the wrong player has gone on as a replacement'

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

LONG READ

Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster?

Discarded by Munster and Ireland, Joey Carbery is flourishing again with Bordeaux.

LONG READ

Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

Chris Robshaw believes the superstar England fly-half shouldn't be discarded on the whim of a Dublin shellacking

LONG READ

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

The Queensland Reds are the outstanding Australian franchise so it would be a risk to move the entire coaching team to the Wallabies

Comments on RugbyPass

b
bit of a flanker 39 minutes ago
Newcastle DoR Steve Diamond cops ban over 'wholly unacceptable' comments

But no mention that the RFU later agreed that an offence had been committed…rugby an absolute joke at the minute. Really feel for the falcons there

1 Go to comments
f
fl 46 minutes ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Does he have to name a tour captain? Itoje and Doris will both captain during the warmup games. Jamie George will too if he’s in the squad, and Jac Morgan and Finn Russell might get a look in too if they’re lucky. Farrell could then choose a captain for the tests after he’s taken some time to see what works.

13 Go to comments
f
fl 49 minutes ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

JD you’re forgetting one thing - IkeaBoy is very stupid!

13 Go to comments
N
NK 2 hours ago
Crusaders hold on for dramatic win over Hurricanes on the road

Canes were AWOL for 60 minutes. Great defence by the Saders with 13 men. Well deserved result.

3 Go to comments
J
Johnsonfidelis 2 hours ago
Gareth Anscombe returns as Gloucester makes 7 changes for Bath

I got a call from a trader for the first time in August 2024. Less than a ”

I got a call from a trader for the first time in August 2024. Less than a year later, through a fabricated process of baiting me with unbelievable profits, and matching my losses, I was in over $185,000. The platform had assigned my personal broker to me, that called me from time to time to tell me about their new offers. And they said he was one of their top brokers, they further told me the broker had made a lot of people so rich. The broker told me there was an insurance that they get on them, every trade that we do that's secured and we could never lose money, he will put in there that it's an insured secure trade, and they buy the insurance for it. so i was assured, I won't lose any money on if we lose. Okay? But the catch is, you have to bring in an additional $25,000 in order to get that secured trade status on your account. I stupidly did this. Once I hit a certain profit level, I tried to remove money from them. That's when they denied me being able to take out my own money. They also told me to pay an additional fee to bring out my money. I was blocked out of my accounts and denied withdrawal even after i contacted them in various ways. Of course they never told me that additional of $25k from the beginning. So when I heard that, then it was pretty obvious to me that they were running a scam.I was very sad and confused after investing a lot. Earlier this year February 15th 2025, i was able to get my invested capital back including profit and the $25k additional fees with the help of the INTELLIGENCE CYBER WIZARD Assets Recovery (You can contact them below). They offer the best in monetary recovery if you are victim of cryptocurrency fraud, binary options fraud, real estate Investment fraud and many more.

G-mail: intelligencecyberwizard@gmail.com

WhatsApp: + 1 2 1 9 4 2 4 7 5 6 6

Proton mail: intelligencecyberwizard@proton

.me

0 Go to comments
R
Ronald Fraser 3 hours ago
Le Munster remporte le « O’Garico »

I wish to share this before it's too late. With the assistance of Meduza spells, I won $2 million in the WESTERN MAX LOTTERY. I am grateful to Meduza for the insightful advice and support during tough times. Your efforts have truly helped me achieve clarity and become the lottery winner I am now. If anyone is interested, Meduza can be contacted on WhatsApp at this number +1 (807) 907-2687.

0 Go to comments
R
Ronald Fraser 3 hours ago
Duhan van der Merwe's Lions tour thrown into doubt

I hope I'm not too late to share this. I won $2 million in the WESTERN MAX LOTTERY with the help of an online spell caster named Meduza. I reached out to him on WhatsApp at this number +1 (807) 907-2687, saying, "I need a lottery spell," after reading positive comments about his spellcasting online. Meduza explained the process to me, and I agreed to his terms, which were reasonable. It took him 48 hours to prepare the spell, and then he sent me the lucky numbers for the WESTERN MAX LOTTERY, which I followed carefully. To my amazement, on March 4th, 2025, I checked and discovered that I had won $2 million at the store where I purchased my ticket. My heart is full of JOY and I want to take this opportunity to thank Meduza for his assistance. Meduza also offers spells for other issues like rekindling relationships, healing illnesses, spells to become successful in life and gaining promotions at work, among other things. You can also contact him by email at: lordmeduzatemple @ hotmail . com

2 Go to comments
R
Ronald Fraser 3 hours ago
Duhan van der Merwe's Lions tour thrown into doubt

I hope I'm not too late to share this. I won $2 million in the WESTERN MAX LOTTERY with the help of an online spell caster named Meduza. I reached out to him on WhatsApp at this number +1 (807) 907-2687, saying, "I need a lottery spell," after reading positive comments about his spellcasting online. Meduza explained the process to me, and I agreed to his terms, which were reasonable. It took him 48 hours to prepare the spell, and then he sent me the lucky numbers for the WESTERN MAX LOTTERY, which I followed carefully. To my amazement, on March 4th, 2025, I checked and discovered that I had won $2 million at the store where I purchased my ticket. My heart is full of JOY and I want to take this opportunity to thank Meduza for his assistance. Meduza also offers spells for other issues like rekindling relationships, healing illnesses, spells to become successful in life and gaining promotions at work, among other things. You can also contact him by email at: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com

2 Go to comments
J
JD 3 hours ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Doris didn’t play that well though, while other number 8’s really shone. Hell Conan made more impact during his minutes than Doris. It doesn’t matter how well Ireland did. Example - Sale lost to Toulouse last weekend, but Ben Curry was phenomenal despite losing.


Don’t judge a player on 5 games is my opinion, class is permanent. Doris does need some good games between now and the end of the season though.

13 Go to comments
K
Katy Martin 3 hours ago
Duhan van der Merwe's Lions tour thrown into doubt

As a truck driver who spends long hours on the road, I understand the value of hard work. My job demands long shifts, constant focus, and time away from loved ones. To make extra income during my limited downtime, I started mining cryptocurrency. After months of dedication, I finally saved enough to buy BITCOIN through P2P on Binance. It felt like a major milestone. I was proud of what I had built, turning my effort into BITCOIN, an asset I believed in. That pride quickly turned into heartbreak. Someone I trusted scammed me out of $85,000 worth of BITCOIN in a single transaction. I was crushed. I had sacrificed sleep, missed out on time with friends and family, and worked relentlessly, only to have everything taken from me in seconds. The emotional and financial blow was devastating. Still, I was not ready to give up. I started researching ways to recover stolen BITCOIN and came across TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. I saw countless testimonials from people who had lost cryptocurrency and managed to recover it with their help. Desperate but hopeful, I reached out and shared my story. To my complete shock, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY managed to trace and recover my stolen BITCOIN within just 21 hours. The funds were safely returned to my wallet. I cannot describe the relief I felt. Months of hard work were not wasted after all. My belief in BITCOIN as a store of value had been shaken, but thanks to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY, I got a second chance. Even more incredible, their team helped law enforcement track down the scammer responsible. That person was arrested, and justice was served. I could finally breathe again, knowing that the person who took advantage of my trust was held accountable. If you have lost BITCOIN or other crypto to a scam, whether through fake investments, phishing schemes, or fraudulent platforms, do not lose hope. TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY specializes in recovering stolen BITCOIN and other digital assets, even from apps like Binance, Cash App, or Coinbase. Their team is fast, trustworthy, and truly committed to helping victims like me. Losing BITCOIN you worked hard for is painful, but recovery is possible. Reach out to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY today and take back control of your financial future. CONSUL THEM wa.me/15617263697

2 Go to comments
J
JD 3 hours ago
Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

Taking 2 fly halfs and 2 fullbacks plus Marcus Smith leaves an extra tour spot. Quids in it will be Elliott Daly given his versatility. Personally I’m not a huge fan of his, but for a tour like this he will be ideal given the sheer number of matches. A further centre cum flyhalf (Jordan) isn’t needed as Kinghorn can play 10 as well. Part of me really wants Manu on that plane.

12 Go to comments
J
JD 4 hours ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Farrell comes left field and names Jac Morgan as tour captain…


One problem for Doris currently is the form of Jack Conan. Conan is basically playing anywhere just to get on the pitch and is starting tonight at 8 vs Glasgow.


It’s an interesting thing to consider. Neither Doris nor Itoje are hugely experienced captains, but the argument could be made that Maro has more experience at the top given his amount of international caps and previous Lions involvement.


Both will be leaders in the pack regardless. Whoever is captain has to be a nailed on starter though. It’s not that outlandish to namecheck the current England captain as a potential tour captain really given Farrell only has a few options in front of him.

13 Go to comments
J
JD 4 hours ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

He’ll be starting second row anyway so surely it’s irrelevant to Oz whether he’s captain or not then?

13 Go to comments
N
NB 4 hours ago
Why French rugby would be poorer if Ronan O'Gara leaves La Rochelle

Every league bar hte Top 14 is posting huge numbers of points 👍

50 Go to comments
N
NB 4 hours ago
Why French rugby would be poorer if Ronan O'Gara leaves La Rochelle

He ruled it out previously.

50 Go to comments
N
NB 4 hours ago
Why French rugby would be poorer if Ronan O'Gara leaves La Rochelle

For sure, but it’s not a reason to trade away a series win in NZ - at least not unless you’re inhabiting an alternate universe!


NZ prob learned more because Schmidt came in, and he was far more familiar with developments in Ireland than any of the local coaches.

50 Go to comments
N
NB 4 hours ago
Why French rugby would be poorer if Ronan O'Gara leaves La Rochelle

They are not opposed points of view FL.


England up to Ireland 2024 tended to kick back rather than return. Their KR improvement coincided with both trhe intro of Furbank at 15, and Felix Jones running a more aggressive form of D.


France are good kick returners, but most of the work on that is done by the coaches at Toulouse and UBB, who have adopted a similar style.

50 Go to comments
I
IkeaBoy 4 hours ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Its the Oz media. They want him as captain with his penalty count and discipline woes. He’d help them no end.

13 Go to comments
D
DP 4 hours ago
'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'

Tinsel has zero rugby IQ but a lot of influential rugby mates. The bloke spouts so much nonsense it’s hilarious to hear, he speaks with such conviction… blinkered and rose tinted conviction, much like most of the English players from his era.

13 Go to comments
f
fl 4 hours ago
Why French rugby would be poorer if Ronan O'Gara leaves La Rochelle

could O’Gara take the top job at Wales now though?

50 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster? Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster?
Search