Wales squad confirmed for start of Nations Championship

Men’s head coach Steve Tandy has confirmed the 33-player Wales squad for the July window of the inaugural Nations Championship.

Wales begin their Nations Championship campaign with a fixture against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday, 4th July, kick off 2.10pm. 

This is followed by matches against Argentina in San Juan and South Africa in Durban in a new format competition that runs across the summer and autumn international Test match periods. All matches will be broadcast live on ITV and S4C.

Dewi Lake captains the 882-cap squad for the campaign.

There are two uncapped players among the 19 forwards and 14 backs named: Ospreys tight-head prop Ben Warren and Exeter Chiefs back row Kane James.

Dafydd Jenkins is unavailable this summer due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Gallagher PREM Final that requires surgery.

Tandy said: 

"We have selected a squad of 33 players for the Nations Championship to mirror what will be required for the world cup in 2027. We are building a lot of competition among our group of players, which is what we want to have, and there were some tough calls to make.

"We have an exciting opportunity over the next three weeks in a brand-new competition and can’t wait to get our campaign started against Fiji on Saturday.

"As I’ve mentioned before, the priorities for us this summer are to keep growing and developing the players. We want to continue building and to be more consistent in our performances across all three games."

The Nations Championship continues in November with Wales hosting Japan, New Zealand and Australia at Principality Stadium during rounds four to six which take place over three consecutive Saturdays.

The new competition culminates in a Finals Weekend with six matches taking place over three days at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham where all 12 teams will compete for their final placing in the Nations Championship, as well as to earn points for their group to decide whether north or south triumphs in the sport this year.

Wales squad for the Nations Championship July window
(Competition rounds one to three)

Forwards (19)
Adam Beard (Montpellier – 65 caps)
James Botham (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 21 caps)
Rhys Carre (Saracens / Saraseniaid – 28 caps)
Ben Carter (Dragons / Dreigiau – 19 caps)
Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 48 caps)
Kane James (Exeter Chiefs / Caerwysg – uncapped / heb gap)
Dewi Lake (Ospreys / Gweilch – 31 caps)
Dillon Lewis (Dragons / Dreigiau – 57 caps)
Evan Lloyd (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 8 caps)
Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 16 caps)
Jac Morgan (Ospreys / Gweilch – 24 caps)
Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 14 caps)
Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers / Caerlŷr – 29 caps)
Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers / Caerlŷr – 63 caps)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys / Gweilch – 44 caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons / Dreigiau – 67 caps)
Sam Wainwright (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 4 caps)
Ben Warren (Ospreys / Gweilch – uncapped / heb gap)
Teddy Williams (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 8 caps)

Backs (14)
Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 70 caps)
Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 20 caps)
Dan Edwards (Ospreys / Gweilch – 11 caps)
Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 17 caps)
Kieran Hardy (Ospreys / Gweilch – 31 caps)
Joe Hawkins (Scarlets – 11 caps)
Eddie James (Scarlets – 9 caps)
Max Llewellyn (Gloucester Rugby / Caerloyw – 11 caps)
Ellis Mee (Scarlets – 8 caps)
Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys / Gweilch – 2 caps)
Blair Murray (Scarlets – 16 caps)
Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears / Bryste – 40 caps)
Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 18 caps)
Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby / Caerloyw – 72 caps)

Wales Men’s Nations Championship fixtures

JULY WINDOW
All live on ITV and S4C.

• Round One: Saturday 4 July 2026 – Fiji v Wales, Cardiff City Stadium. KO 14.10h.
• Round Two: Saturday 11 July 2026 – Argentina v Wales, Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan. KO 20.10h BST / 16.10h local time
• Round Three: Saturday 18 July 2026 – South Africa v Wales, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban. KO 16.40h BST / 17.40h local time

NOVEMBER WINDOW
All at Principality Stadium and live on ITV and S4C. 
Buy tickets now via https://my.wru.wales/buy-tickets

• Round Four: Saturday 7 November 2026 – Wales v Japan, KO 16.40h
• Round Five: Saturday 14 November 2026 – Wales v New Zealand, KO 14.10h
• Round Six: Saturday 21 November 2026 – Wales v Australia, KO 20.10h

Finals Weekend
Friday 27 November

• Match 1: Northern Hemisphere 6 v Southern Hemisphere 6
• Match 2: Northern Hemisphere 3 v Southern Hemisphere 3

Saturday 28 November

• Match 1: Northern Hemisphere 5 v Southern Hemisphere 5
• Match 2: Northern Hemisphere 2 v Southern Hemisphere 2

Sunday 29 November

• Match 1: Northern Hemisphere 4 v Southern Hemisphere 4
• Match 2: Northern Hemisphere 1 v Southern Hemisphere 1

Northern Hemisphere teams
England
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales

Southern Hemisphere teams
Argentina
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
Japan
Fiji