Share

Warburton back to lead Wales

London - Wales captain Sam Warburton is set to make his first appearance of the Rugby World Cup warm-up campaign after he was named Thursday to lead the side in Saturday's match against Italy at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The openside flank suffered a shoulder injury in training last month and was rested from Wales' 16-10 win away to Six Nations champions Ireland in Dublin last weekend.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has named a strong side for the team's final World Cup tune-up fixture, with fullback Leigh Halfpenny, wing George North, half-backs Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb and prop Gethin Jenkins all starting alongside Warburton.

"With our opening Rugby World Cup fixture just two weeks away, this weekend is an important run-out and opportunity for fine-tuning," said Gatland of a match with an Italy side thrashed 48-7 by Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.

"We were happy with the performance away from home in Ireland last weekend, but there are plenty of things we need to work on from that victory, so we will be looking to put those in place on Saturday," the New Zealander added.

"We've made a couple of changes to try a few new combinations and ensure players get some more game-time under their belts."

Wales begin their World Cup campaign against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on September 20, but whether they get through to the last eight appears to depend on the outcome of their Twickenham clashes against pool rivals England and Australia.

Teams:

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Scott Williams, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 James King, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gethin Jenkins

Substitutes: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21-Gareth Davies, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Matthew Morgan

Italy:

TBA

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2245 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE