Davies to lead Wales East
26-year-old Cardiff Blues lock Bradley Davies will lead Wales in their forthcoming two-test tour of Japan.
Davies was named captain as Head Coach for the Japan tour, Robin McBryde, reduced his initial training squad down to a 27-man touring party.
The squad includes nine uncapped players including Ospreys duo Dafydd Howells and Dan Baker and Blues flyhalf Rhys Patchell.
Props Ryan Bevington, Scott Andrews and Craig Mitchell who all featured for Wales in the 2013 Six Nations campaign are joined by Rhys Gill and Rhodri Jones.
Uncapped pair Emyr Phillips and Scott Baldwin are named as hookers.
Davies returns to the squad at lock after missing the Six Nations campaign due to injury and is named alongside Andrew Coombs, Lou Reed and James King.
Baker, 20, who featured 25 times for Swansea in the Principality Premiership this season, joins Scarlets duo Aaron Shingler and Rob McCusker and Blues captain Andries Pretorius.
Lloyd Williams and Tavis Knoyle are named at scrumhalf alongside Dan Biggar and Patchell at flyhalf.
In the backline Ospreys trio Ashley Beck, Jonathan Spratt and 18-year-old Howells are joined by Blues duo Owen Williams and Harry Robinson. Liam Williams, Tom Prydie and Steven Shingler make up the other three backline selections.
Wales face Eddie Jones’ Japan in Osaka on June 8th and then in Tokyo on June 15th and McBryde has been impressed with his squad over the past ten days.
"We’ve had the training squad together for more than a week and we’ve been impressed," said McBryde.
"They have really put the effort in and stepped up as we have asked them to. Everyone in the training squad put their hand up for selection making our jobs much harder.
"It’s a chance for these players now to experience the international test environment and put their marker down." McBryde added.
Wales Squad: Ryan Bevington, Rhys Gill, Emyr Phillips, Scott Baldwin, Scott Andrews, Craig Mitchell, Rhodri Jones, Bradley Davies (captain), Lou Reed, Andrew Coombs, James King, Aaron Shingler, Dan Baker, Rob McCusker, Andries Pretorius, Lloyd Williams, Tavis Knoyle, Dan Biggar, Rhys Patchell, Ashley Beck, Owen Williams, Jonathan Spratt, Dafydd Howells, Liam Williams, Harry Robinson, Tom Prydie, Steven Shingler.
