Scrumhalf Ellis Bevan will make his international debut for Wales in their match against South Africa on Saturday at Twickenham as Warren Gatland picks Dewi Lake as captain of an inexperienced side.

Gatland has given four players the chance to make their debuts, with Bevan starting and James Ratti, Eddie James, and Jacob Beetham set to make their first appearances from the bench.

Dewi Lake skippers the side and, along with Liam Williams, will play for Wales for the first time since the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal.

Lake lines up in the front row with Gareth and Henry Thomas, while Williams is joined by Rio Dyer and Cam Winnett in the back three.

Ratti is a surprise inclusion, with captain Jac Morgan out injured, the Ospreys second row joined the squad over the weekend.

Morgan has been released from the squad due to a hamstring issue, and will also not travel to Australia for Wales’ three fixtures.

On Morgan’s injury, Gatland said he was ‘gutted’ for his captain.

“He had a tight hamstring when he played against Munster, so we’ve been looking after him but unfortunately he’s been ruled out,” he said.

“It gives him the opportunity to have a full preseason.”

Morgan’s exclusion is good news for James Botham, who was only added to the squad on Monday, and lines up in the back row with Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright.

Another late call up, Scarlets centre Eddie James, is on the bench, joined by regional teammates Gareth Davies and Kemsley Mathias.

Scrumhalf Davies is by far the most experienced player on the bench for Wales, with the other seven players totalling just 23 caps.

Along with the three uncapped players and Mathias, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, and Mackenzie Martin are the others included on the bench.

Four Dragons players make the Wales XV, with Rio Dyer on the left wing, Wainwright at number eight, and Ben Carter and Matthew Screech taking their second row partnership into international rugby.

First Cap For Bevan

Gatland also spoke about Bevan’s ‘growth’ leading to his imminent international debut.

“He’s impressed us at training,” Gatland said.

“He’s got a left foot which gives us a different kicking option. The way he’s worked, the extras he’s done after training, he’s got a strong voice and been really positive about taking feedback from the coaches.

“We see a huge amount of growth in him and we wanted to find out about someone else in that position to give us some more depth.”

Grady Experiment At 12

A surprise call from the Wales coach was the decision to play Mason Grady at inside centre, while moving Owen Watkin to 13.

“The way the game is we are up against a really physical South Africa team,” Gatland said of his decision.

“It’s a chance for him [Grady] to get his hands on the ball more. A 12 ends up with the ball more than a 13 does.

“It’s a little easier to defend from 12 and with Owen’s experience at 13, it’s a good chance to see how he performs in that 13 jersey.

“Mason is not just someone who can carry, although we want him to do that, but there’s other aspects to his game like his offloading. We saw the impact he made against Italy.”

Boks Ring The Changes

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has also selected four debutants in his matchday 23: Edwill van der Merwe and Jordan Hendrikse from the start, and Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu from the bench.

2019 World Rugby player of the year Peter-Steph du Toit captains the side at Twickenham.

A total of 10 players in the matchday squad featured in the 2023 world cup final, while 16 players were members of the world cup squad.

South Africa’s pack includes seven world cup winners, including the likes of Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith, and Franco Mostert.

Wales Team: Cameron Winnett, Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer; Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (captain), Henry Thomas; Matthew Screech, Ben Carter; Taine Plumtree, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Kieron Assiratti, James Ratti, Mackenzie Martin, Gareth Davies, Eddie James, Jacob Beetham

South Africa Team: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse, Faf de Klerk; Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch; Eden Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), Evan Roos.

Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Frans Malherbe, Salmaa Moerat, Ben-Jason Dixon, Grant Williams, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende.