Wales centre Kerin Lake will win her 50th international cap when Wales play Spain in the WXV play-off match at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday.

Lake partners captain Hannah Jones in a familiar back line, that also includes regular half-backs Keira Bevan and Lleucu George.

Following a disastrous Six Nations campaign, with the final day victory over Italy not preventing them from taking home the wooden spoon, Wales face this play-off against Spain with dual purpose.

Victory not only places Wales in the WXV2 competition, but also ensures qualification to next year’s World Cup, held in England. Head coach Ioan Cunningham had previously stated that his team’s objective is to reach the semi-finals of that tournament, but their form of late has raised question marks about that target.

It is a sign of Cunningham’s position that he has refused to experiment with his 23 for this game, knowing that defeat will heap even more pressure on his shoulders ahead of the WXV in the autumn.

Carys Cox and Jenny Hesketh are joined in the back three by Lisa Neumann who pips Courtney Keight to a starting spot. Keight impressed in last week’s Premiership Women’s Rugby final, scoring on her 50th appearance for Bristol Bears, as they eventually fell to defeat against Gloucester-Hartpury.

Bethan Lewis, an integral part of Gloucester’s back-to-back title success and the top tackler in the 2023/24 edition, returns to the back row after a spell on the bench during the 2024 Six Nations. She is joined by Wales stalwarts Alisha Butchers and vice-captain Alex Callender.

Saracens’ Georgia Evans returns to the second row after a period at number eight, and partners Abbie Fleming, with the familiar front row of Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips, and Sisilia Tuipulotu packing down in front.

Keight is joined on the bench by half-backs Robyn Wilkins and Sian Jones, while Molly Reardon, Abbey Constable, Donna Rose, Kate Williams, and 2024 breakout star Gwennan Hopkins make up the replacements for the forwards.

Speaking ahead of the important match, Ioan Cunningham stressed the importance of getting the job done and qualifying for WXV2.

“We know what we have to do – victory means World Cup qualification for England 2025 and qualification for WXV2 in South Africa in September,” he said.

“The focus all of this week has been on what we need to do and how we are going to play, and making sure we have the detail in our game right. We need to play with tempo and know Spain will view this vital game as a way to make a statement.

“We need to build on the win in our final game of the Guinness Six Nations against Italy and have selected the bulk of the team who delivered on that day. We know Spain have prepared with two warm-up games against Canada A and will pose a real challenge.”

Wales: Jenny Hesketh; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (capt), Kerin Lake, Carys Cox; Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans, Alisha Butchers, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis

Replacements: Molly Reardon, Abbey Constable, Donna Rose, Kate Williams, Gwennan Hopkins, Sian Jones, Robyn Wilkins, Courtney Keight.