Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has named Taulupe Faletau and Rhys Webb in his matchday-23 for this weekend’s Six Nations curtain-raiser against Italy.
Faletau starts at No.8 for what will be his first involvement in international rugby since March 2018 following a spate of injuries.
You have to go further back to December 2017 for Webb’s last match in a Wales shirt, a 24-22 win over the Springboks in Cardiff, before his self-imposed exile in Toulon allowed Gareth Davies to assume the role of first-choice scrum-half.
With Davies failing a fitness test, however, Pivac has selected Tomos Williams at scrum-half for the welcome of Italy, meaning Webb takes his place on the bench.
Outside centre has been the most pressing issue in selection for Pivac with Jonathan Davies facing a long spell on the sidelines and Owen Watkin only just returning to full training.
As mooted by various former players, including TRP columnist Shane Williams, George North has been trusted with partnering Hadleigh Parkes in the Wales midfield.
North will win his 92nd cap as the emergency cover option, with Saracens centre Nick Tompkins set to make his debut off the bench.
Uncapped Johnny McNicholl takes North’s usual spot on the right wing in a back three, which includes Josh Adams and Leigh Halfpenny, having starred for Wales in their match against Barbarians in the autumn.
“I’m really happy with the side and really looking forward to this weekend,” said Pivac ahead of his first competitive match in charge.
“George has had a number of games in the midfield for Wales and more recently for the Ospreys and he has been running there in training. We have been impressed with him there and he is excited by the opportunity.
“It is great for Johnny McNicholl to get his first cap, I thought he played really well against the Barbarians so it is a great opportunity for him this weekend.
“Nick Tompkins has trained well and has impressed and we are looking forward to seeing him at some stage during the game.
“We’ve had a couple of injuries. Josh Navidi picked up a hamstring injury so he is out for a few weeks, while Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Gareth Davies and Elliot Dee weren’t quite ready to be available for selection.
“The whole team has a great vibe and we are looking forward to getting out there in front of our home supporters on Saturday.”
Wales team to play Italy (Saturday, Principality Stadium, 2:15pm)
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 George North, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams; 1 Wyn Jones, 2 Ken Owens, 3 Dillon Lewis, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Nick Tompkins
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