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Rugby News

Holmes named in Wales training squad

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Leicester Tigers outside back Jonah Holmes has been named in a 42-man Rugby World Cup training squad by Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

Holmes underwent surgery earlier this month after suffering a knee injury away to Sale Sharks in Round 16 of the Gallagher Premiership in March, and is currently unavailable for selection.

Players named in the training squad will report to the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU)’s regular training base near Cardiff following the end of the domestic season, before overseas training camps in the Swiss Alps and Turkey over the summer.

Gatland’s men will also face both England and Ireland home and away in warm-up games ahead of the announcement on Saturday, August 31 of the 31-man squad that will travel to Japan for the competition.

“It is exciting to name our training squad and to get the RWC ball rolling,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

“We’ve named a 42-man squad, packed with experience, a good number of the Grand Slam winning squad are in there plus some players who have returned from injury.

“The last couple of years have been about building depth and exposing players and we have done that well so we have kept the numbers down to make the squad as manageable as possible.

“We have created some great competition in the squad and there are a couple of players on the injury list at the moment that we could add into the squad at a later date depending on their recovery."

Wales team manager Alan Phillips added: “If you look at our plan, I think it’s perfect.

“We have put everything in place in order to give the training squad as much preparation as possible. We were really pleased with our approach in 2011 and 2015 and we believe 2019 will be as good.

“Fiesch [in Switzerland] is fantastic for altitude training and we really benefited from it in 2015. Turkey gives us the heat training we require with it being a bit closer than Doha but it will be another huge testing week for the squad.”

Wales 2019 Rugby World Cup Training Squad

FORWARDS (23):
Leon Brown (Dragons) (5 Caps)
Rhys Carre (Cardiff Blues) (*Uncapped)
Rob Evans (Scarlets) (35 Caps)
Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (40 Caps)
Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (12 Caps)
Samson Lee (Scarlets) (40 Caps)
Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues) (12 Caps)
Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (28 Caps)
Elliot Dee (Dragons) (18 Caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets) (7 Caps)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) (64 Caps)
Jake Ball (Scarlets) (32 Caps)
Adam Beard (Ospreys) (13 Caps)
Bradley Davies (Ospreys) (64 Caps)
Cory Hill (Dragons) (24 Caps)
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (125 Caps)
James Davies (Scarlets) (3 Caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (72 Caps)
Ross Moriarty (Dragons) (31 Caps)
Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues) (16 Caps)
Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) (17 Caps)
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (64 Caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (8 Caps)

BACKS (19):
Aled Davies (Ospreys) (16 Caps)
Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (41 Caps)
Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues) (7 Caps)
Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues) (26 Caps)
Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints) (70 Caps)
Jarrod Evans (Cardiff Blues) (1 Cap)
Rhys Patchell (Scarlets) (11 Caps)
Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (73 Caps)
Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets) (15 Caps)
Owen Watkin (Ospreys) (13 Caps)
Scott Williams (Ospreys) (57 Caps)
Josh Adams (Worcester Warriors) (10 Caps)
Hallam Amos (Dragons) (18 Caps)
Steff Evans (Scarlets) (12 Caps)
Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (81 Caps)
Owen Lane (Cardiff Blues) (*Uncapped)
George North (Ospreys) (83 Caps)
Jonah Holmes (Leicester Tigers) (2 Caps)
Liam Williams (Saracens) (55 Caps)​