Wales rugby squad LIVE: World Cup announcement reaction as Warren Gatland names 33-man squad

Warren Gatland prepares to name his 33-man Wales rugby squad for the Rugby World Cup in France. The announcement comes just days after his side suffered a thumping 52-16 warm-up defeat to South Africa in Cardiff.

Jac Morgan looks likely to captain the side having done so in two of their three warm-up games but Wales already have to contend with a host of injuries as they look to bounce back from a disappointing Six Nations performance.

Fly-half Gareth Anscombe, winger Alex Cuthbert and No 8 Taulupe Faletau have not featured in any of the three preparation games. Dan Biggar and Liam Williams also missed the clash with South Africa while there are concerns, too, at hooker after injuries sustained by Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias against England.

Wales reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup - held in Japan - losing out to eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals.

Follow all the updates and reaction below:

Wales Rugby World Cup 2023 squad

• Warren Gatland names his 33-man squad for the World Cup in France

• Wales head into the announcement after being thumped 52-16 by South Africa on Saturday

• Wales’ World Cup squad announced with Alex Cuthbert missing out

• Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake named Wales co-captains for Rugby World Cup

Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake named Wales co-captains for Rugby World Cup

13:13 , Mike Jones

Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake have been named as Wales co-captains for the Rugby World Cup.

The Ospreys forwards will lead a squad that includes recent international newcomers in wing Rio Dyer, centre Mason Grady and prop Corey Domachowski.

But there is no place for scrum-half Kieran Hardy, with Wales head coach Warren Gatland deciding to select just two nines in Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies.

Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake named Wales co-captains for Rugby World Cup

Wales’ World Cup schedule

13:22 , Mike Jones

Here’s a reminder of Wales’ World Cup fixtures in France:

Pool C

10th September - Fiji in Bordeaux (20:00 BST)

16th September - Portugal in Nice (16:45 BST)

24th September - Australia in Lyon (20:00 BST)

7th October - Georgia in Nantes (14:00 BST)

A possible quarter-final will be in Marseille on the weekend of the 14th/15th October.

Gatland on preparing for Fiji

13:18 , Mike Jones

“We won’t look too far ahead, I think every team is focusing on getting out of their pool and then take it one step at a time,” said Warren Gatland.

“Fiji is a big game, I saw their result against France. France put out a lot of younger players.

“We’re pretty clear on how we want to play against Fiji. We know how dangerous they are and they’ve had five warm-up games before the World Cup so they’re going to be match fit.”

Jac Morgan on the players who have missed out:

13:14 , Mike Jones

“It’s gutting for them, they’ve put a lot of work in over the last few months in the camps. Everyone deserves to be picked, anyone could go.

“You don’t know what could happen someone could get injured and they’ll get a call up. I’ll be speaking to them before long.”

Sam Costelow to cover scrum-half

13:10 , Mike Jones

Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow is going to be the cover at scrum-half behind Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies.

Warren Gatland explained: “We spoke from the start that the tipping point could have been two nines or two tens. There was no certainty for anyone being selected in the squad.

“Sam Costelow is the back up scrum-half, we’ve taken that risk, other teams have done the same. There’s a pinching point in the squad in terms of numbers. If we get a HIA in one of the games we’ll have to look at that and address it.

“We know we’ve taken a risk but there’s a pinching point somewhere. The nines have been robust and we are confident they will be fine.”

Gatland available for feedback

13:06 , Mike Jones

“We shared some of the calls with the coaches and I’ll be available to talk to all the players today if they want to give me the call,” said Warren Gatland,

“I’ll make contact with the others as well to make sure they are ready.

“Hopefully they go back to their regions in good shape. Players say it’s the best shape they’ve been in, and hopefully they can demonstrate the work they’ve been doing with their regions.

“It’s also about some players experiencing what the next level is about. I know there’s been a huge amount of learning for those players.”

Gatland on Plumtree’s omission

13:02 , Mike Jones

“Taine is really unlucky having picked up that shoulder injury.” said Warren Gatland when asked if the flanker was too injured to feature in the World Cup.

“Looking at the next couple of weeks we looked at the players who can take part in training as we want live sessions.

“He’s drawn the short straw but I told him to be ready.

“We’ve got three genuine sevens. The beauty of this Rugby World Cup is that we do get some breathing space between games. Hopefully it gives us an opportunity to keep players fit.”

Lake on captaining alongside Morgan

12:58 , Mike Jones

“Me and Jac have played together for a long time and roomed together. Our relationship is very good.” said Dewi Lake when asked what it feels like to captain the team with Jac Morgan.

“We are honest with each other. I couldn’t think of anyone better to share this role with.

“Four years ago, we’d have just been happy to play for Wales never mind be co-captains for the tournament. Sometimes things happen quickly.”

Lake and Morgan to be co-captains

12:54 , Mike Jones

Warren Gatland also explained the reasoning behind naming Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan as co-captains for the tournament saying:

“They compliment each other well. Good mates as well. It’s a good opportunity and something I’ve never done before. Both of them have a big future ahead of them.”

Morgan added: "There’s loads of experienced players in the squad. There’s plenty of leaders in the squad who say their opinion and get stuff going.

"Dewi is great as a captain. He captained the U20s when we went to Argentina. When something needs to be said he’ll say it. I’d never have thought this would have happened four years ago. It’s great to be here with Dewi."

Gatland explains what Wales are taking two scrum-halves

12:50 , Mike Jones

He was asked how he came to the decision to pick Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams and the head coach replied:

“If we do pick up injuries it’s not too far of a distance to go. Both of them have been robust.

“We did talk earlier that there’d be a point where we’d have to make concessions. We looked at the depth in our back three and covering players who are getting on a little bit.

“Wanted more cover in the back three.”

How Warren Gatland chose the World Cup squad

12:46 , Mike Jones

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is answering some questions about his World Cup squad selection at a press conference and explained a little bit about what went into choosing which 33 players would be taken to France.

“[It took] a couple of hours. Some good discussions and talking points,” said Gatland, “We talked about the three games as well and had an update from Prav [WRU doctor].

“We are told they’ll [the injured players] be ready. Faletau is up and running and will do contact next week. Ryan Elias will take part in training this week.”

The unlucky XV

12:42 , Mike Jones

Here are the 15 players omitted from the provisional squad:

Forwards: Kieron Assiratti, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Parry, Taine Plumtree, Teddy Williams,

Backs: Alex Cuthbert, Cai Evans, Kieran Hardy, Max Llewellyn, Joe Roberts, Tom Rogers, Kieran Williams, Owen Williams.

Wales’ World Cup co-captains

12:37 , Mike Jones

Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan are sharing the captain responsibilities in France for Wales.

Warren Gatland announces Wales’ World Cup squad

12:33 , Mike Jones

Drawn in Pool C, Wales’ Rugby World Cup campaign in France begins against Fiji in Bordeaux on Saturday 10 September.

They then play Portugal in Nice on Saturday 16 September before facing Australia in Lyon on Sunday 24 September.

A final Pool C meeting with Georgia comes onSaturday 7 October in Nantes.

‘This will be a very proud moment’ for those selected says Gatland

12:29 , Mike Jones

“The toughest part of the job is always selection and this is particularly the case when it comes to picking a Rugby World Cup squad,” said Wales boss Warren Gatland.

“Over the past three months the whole group of 48 players in the wider training squad has been outstanding in terms of attitude and effort, so having to reduce the squad down to the final 33 has been really hard and there have been some close final decisions in the last 36 hours.

“But we can only take 33 players and those we have selected we think offer a good combination in terms of talent and experience.

“We have a few more training sessions here in Wales before we depart for France on 3 September and we cannot wait to get out there and get started in this tournament. We look forward to what lies ahead for this group.

“This will be a very proud moment for these players, their families and friends and I’d like to congratulate them all on the achievement.”

Lake and Morgan to co-captain Wales at their first Rugby World Cup.

12:25 , Mike Jones

Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan have been selected to co-captain Wales at their first Rugby World Cup with 20-year-old second row Dafydd Jenkins the youngest member of the squad.

Cuthbert and Plumtree miss out

12:21 , Mike Jones

The big omissions are winger Alex Cuthbert who withdrew from the match against South Africa due to injury. Some tightness in his calf saw Cuthbert set aside at the weekend in what Wales described as a precautionary measure but his omission from the World Cup squad may show that the injury is worse than expected.

23-year-old flanker Taine Plumtree is another eyebrow raiser. He injured his shoulder during the match against England but did not require surgery.

“Taine has not been ruled out of the World Cup. He doesn’t need surgery, so he is still available.” said Gatland after that match but it seems the head coach did not want to risk taking him to France.

Warren Gatland announces Wales’ World Cup squad

12:14 , Mike Jones

Gatland asked the people of Wales to announce the individual names of all the players who made it into the squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Here’s the announcement video in full:

Warren Gatland announces Wales’ World Cup squad

12:12 , Mike Jones

Wales’ World Cup squad:

Forwards (19): Corey Domachowski, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan, Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs (14): Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Mason Grady, George North, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Liam Williams.

Warren Gatland announces Wales’ World Cup squad

11:59 , Mike Jones

The Wales Rugby Union head coach is about to confirm which 33 players will be heading to France as part of the World Cup campaign that begins in September.

Warren Gatland is due to name his squad just after 12pm and we’ll have all the updates and reaction when it comes through.

South Africa send message to Rugby World Cup rivals with Wales demolition

11:50 , Mike Jones

World champions South Africa delivered a ruthless display that bristled with pace and power to demolish Wales 52-16 at the Principality Stadium.

An inexperienced Wales line-up contained a total of only 235 caps and the Springboks showed no mercy as they cruised to a record victory over their opponents in Cardiff.

Wales’ final Rugby World Cup warm-up Test – head coach Warren Gatland will name his 33-strong squad for the tournament on Monday – proved a horribly one-sided affair.

It was the first time in either of Gatland’s reigns as head coach that Wales had conceded 50 or more points.

South Africa send message to Rugby World Cup rivals with Wales demolition

Costelow is one for right now says Gatland

11:43 , Mike Jones

Warren Gatland has four fly-halves in his wider training squad: Dan Biggar, Gareth Anscombe, Owen Williams and Sam Costelow with Costelow, who is just 22-years-old, seemingly set to miss out if one of them were to be dropped from the World Cup squad.

Gatland, however, is unsure and has himself admitted that Costelow could well be a valuable addition to the squad right now.

“When you think about our 10s, they’re all different, have different strengths and have had different experiences,” the Wales head coach said on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast last week.

“You’ve got someone like Sam Costelow who’s definitely going to be one for the future but he could be one for now as well.

“He’s got a great skillset, he gets the ball through his hands, he’s really aware of space, he’s a lot quicker than people think for not a big man, and he’s as brave as hell.

“He’s got a few things to work on - his kicking game, he’s aware of that. But from an attacking perspective he gives you something.”

Can Wales take Halfpenny?

11:36 , Mike Jones

Warren Gatland has lost a lot of experience following the retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb and he has to decide whether he can afford to leave out experienced full-back Leigh Halfpenny.

Wales are considering taking four players to cover full-back and wings with Halfpenny providing a specialist and dependable number 15 option alongside Liam Williams.

Whether Halfpenny is selected ahead of wings Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Alex Cuthbert remains to be seen though and Wales will struggle to fit everybody in.

How many injured players will Gatland pick?

11:30 , Mike Jones

Nine players in Wales’ current squad have niggles, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe, wing Alex Cuthbert and No. 8 Taulupe Faletau not playing a single minute of the three warm-up games this month.

Cuthbert (calf), fly-half Dan Biggar (back) and full-back Liam Williams (hamstring) all pulled out of the South Africa match because of minor problems, in moves which were labelled “precautionary”.

Hookers Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, lock Dafydd Jenkins and back-row forward Taine Plumtree suffered injuries during Wales’ home and away appointments with England.

How will Gatland see the process of selecting injured players? Is there enough cover if they’re not fit to play, can they recover in time for the start of the World Cup? Will it be better to select someone with less experience but who can perform to at their best?

Gatland started whittling down the Wales squad on Saturday

11:24 , Mike Jones

Wales’ defeat to South Africa was the final blow to kick Warren Gatland into gear when deciding which players will be part of Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad.

The Dragons’ head coach spoke after the match on Saturday and began the process of reducing his current squad to just 33 names.

“A lot of questions have been answered. We’ll go back to the hotel, sit down and hopefully finalise it. If we need to have more discussion, we can do that tomorrow (Sunday) morning,” he said after the loss to the Springboks.

“We wanted to give everyone an opportunity and we wanted to find out about players. There’s no doubt we are going to pick up injuries during the World Cup as well, and every team will do that.

“Players who have had some game time, that have been a part of the squad for the last number of weeks, will hopefully then be able come in a little bit better prepared if needed. For a large number of those they would have learnt a huge amount from today’s experience.”

Wales kick-off their Pool C campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on Sunday, 10 September.

Williams hoping for World Cup call-up after chemotherapy

11:18 , Mike Jones

Johnny Williams is on the verge of a World Cup dream four years after he watched the last tournament from a hospital bed.

The centre is an option in midfield for Wales head coach Warren Gatland who is putting the finishing touches on his 33-player squad for the tournament which is due to be announced at 12pm today.

If Williams makes the final cut it would be an incredible achievement following his diagnosis of testicular cancer at the age of 22 in June 2019.

“Four years ago, I was watching the World Cup from a hospital bed, so the ability to maybe play at the tournament four years later is hard to sum up in words,” Williams said when remembering his chemotherapy treatments from four years ago.

“Every working day has been towards playing for Wales and going to the World Cup ever since I can remember from the age of six-years-old when my dad was bringing me to the stadium to watch Wales.

“It would be hard to sum up, considering where I was four years ago. I have dreamt about one day going to a World Cup.

“My dad took me to Cardiff to watch the internationals. I just remember that I really wanted to be on the pitch and to play for Wales.

“Hopefully, it will all be topped off on Monday with selection for the World Cup.”

Gatland on Wales’ Rugby World Cup warm-ups

11:12 , Mike Jones

Wales’ defeat to the Springboks at the weekend was their third and final warm-up before the World Cup begins. Head coach Warren Gatland now has three weeks to hone his squad before launching his fourth campaign in charge of the Dragons.

“I was pleased with the first couple of games in terms of the physicality we brought against England. We weren’t quite there against South Africa,” he admitted.

“The breakdown needs to be a cleaner and it was a little bit disjointed from an attack perspective. We created some nice chances down the short-side, and we probably needed to look at that a little bit more.

“I thought our box kicking was effective but we didn’t have enough variation in terms of cross-field kicks and kicks in behind. They were pretty much front loaded in terms of having 14 in the line and space in behind.

“We’ll look at those things and see where we can get better in terms of putting the team under a little bit more pressure. For us we’ve got to be more accurate with ball in hand and not give away soft points.”

The 48 Wales players Gatland has to select from

11:06 , Mike Jones

Here’s a look at the current Wales squad before Warren Gatland needs to cut it down to 33 this afternoon:

Forwards (26): Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Sam Parry, Keiron Assiratti, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs (22): Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, George North, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Keiran Williams, Josh Adams, Alex Cuthbert, Rio Dyer, Cai Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Liam Williams.

15 players set to miss out on Rugby World Cup

11:01 , Mike Jones

15 players will today learn that they have not been included in Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad when the 48-man squad is cut down to 33.

Players can elect to receive an email, phone call or text shortly before the public announcement should they be unlucky in selection.

Warren Gatland impressed by competition for World Cup places

10:55 , Mike Jones

“We have been so impressed with this group of players,” he said.

“And as it has turned out there was an opportunity for us to give everyone a chance to put their hand up. We feel that the time we have had together, we’ve increased the depth and competition within the squad.

“A number of teams have picked up one or two injuries, so you have got to have players who have been with you for that period, hopefully had some game time and been training with the squad.”

Warren Gatland impressed by competition for World Cup places

10:49 , Mike Jones

Wales head coach Warren Gatland believes that “depth and competition” has increased in his squad as World Cup selection looms large.

Reigning world champions South Africa provided Wales’ final warm-up opposition at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The race for World Cup places in Gatland’s 33-strong group is then due to conclude on Monday when he names those players who will head to France next month.

Only fly-half Gareth Anscombe, wing Alex Cuthbert and number eight Taulupe Faletau, who are recovering from injuries, have not featured competitively among a 48-man training squad during the August schedule.

‘Selection is the hardest part’ claims Gatland

10:42 , Mike Jones

Warren Gatland says choosing a squad for the World Cup, or any other tournament, is the most difficult part of being an international head coach.

Writing in the Telegraph the Wales boss said: “‌Selection is the hardest part of being a head coach.

“It is tough letting players down and knowing that they are disappointed. And I understand that disappointment. If they weren’t disappointed, they probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

In today’s society, it sometimes feels like we tell everyone everything, and everyone is given information in order to make everyone feel comfortable and good about themselves. But life is not always like that.

“Some of the players will no doubt be disappointed. And the coaches and I will be available for a phone call afterwards for feedback. Some players may not look for feedback, and that is fine too. I fully respect that.

“I expect them to be unhappy with selection and trying to prove me wrong. Realistically, given the amount of injuries you expect to pick up during a World Cup, some of them will know they could yet be involved anyway.”

Wales were ‘physically dominated’ by South Africa says Gatland

10:36 , Mike Jones

Warren Gatland believes his Wales team will take lessons from their 52-16 thumping against South Africa and that the players will be better because of the experience of the defeat.

“It was disappointing because we were dominated physically on both sides of the ball. We’d spoken to the players about the physicality they’d bring and the fact they were playing against the world champions who’d just come out of a Rugby Championship,” said Gatland.

“We were playing against a quality, world class side who were fully loaded and who made the most of their opportunities. The only positive I can take is there is hopefully a lot of learning that some of the players will have taken from the game.

“The disappointing thing for me were the soft tries we gifted them – it didn’t help throwing a couple of intercepts. We stayed in the game in the first half for a long period and it was pretty tight.

“I think there are some easy fixes. Probably four or five of their tries are easy enough to stop and then all of a sudden there’s a different complexion on the game.

“Contact wise we need to be a little bit better and a little bit quicker into the breakdown. When we had good line speed, we stopped some of their momentum and we need to continue to work on getting off the line to stop the physical dominance they ended up having.

“There’ll be a lot of good learnings we can take out of this to build over the next few weeks. I’m not so happy today, but I’m pretty pleased with the progression we’ve made and how hard we’ve worked.

Sam Warburton convinced Jac Morgan will be named Wales captain

10:30 , Mike Jones

Former Wales Rugby captain, Sam Warburton, says he has no doubt that Jac Morgan will be named captain for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Hooker Dewi Lake is Morgan’s the main rival for the armband but is struggling with a knee injury so the way seems open for 23-year-old Morgan to take charge of the team.

“Jac will be captain - I’m fairly sure of that,” Warburton said. “And I also think Taine Basham showed up very well off the bench in the last two games and I believe he will get the nod because he can also cover six and has experience at eight for the Dragons.

“What’s going to be sad, because all the back-rowers are worthy of going, is that someone like a Dan Lydiate or a Tommy Reffell is going to miss out I feel because they’re specialists at six and seven respectively.”

Faletau and Anscombe in contention

10:22 , Mike Jones

Taulupe Faletau could make the journey to his fourth World Cup regardless of his absence from all three of Wales’ warm-up games. The No 8 is still recovering from a calf complaint, but is nearing fitness and is in the thoughts of Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

Outside-half Gareth Anscombe, who has a thumb injury that forced him to sit out the warm-ups as well is also being highlighted by Gatland who said:

“They’re in contention because of their experience. If they were young players, it would be very, very difficult to select them.

“But given the vast amount of experience, they’ll definitely be part of these discussions.”

English rugby ‘digging its own grave’ after Ireland humbling, says Cipriani

10:22 , Mike Jones

Ex-England fly-half Danny Cipriani says English rugby is ‘digging its own grave’ following a 29-10 defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Cipriani, who played 16 times for England, tore into the side on social media saying it was being led ‘by people who do not understand the art of the game.’

England conceded five tries in their World Cup warm-up game in Dublin and head coach Steve Borthwick faces further disciplinary-based disruptions this week following Billy Vunipola’s red card.

English rugby ‘digging its own grave’ after Ireland humbling, says Cipriani

Wales left with questions after South Africa demolition

10:15 , Luke Baker

It wasn’t pretty watching for Wales fans on Saturday as South Africa cruised to a 52-16 win. It was a record victory for the Springboks in Wales and the first time Warren Gatland has seen his side concede 50+ points in either of his spells as head coach.

Here’s how the Boks brought up 50...

Wales boss Warren Gatland says heavy South Africa loss helps World Cup selection

10:00 , Luke Baker

Warren Gatland said Wales’ record defeat to South Africa in Cardiff had made his World Cup selection task easier.

Gatland names his 33-man World Cup squad on Monday on the back of a chastening 52-16 thumping to the Springboks.

After two warm-up games against England, in which Wales won once and lost once and generally saw the reputation of their young team enhanced, Gatland’s side were dismantled by opponents boasting 659 Test caps to their 235.

South Africa’s victory – the first time Wales have conceded 50 points under Gatland – comfortably eclipsed their previous biggest win in Cardiff – a 34-12 in 2007.

Asked if the game had answered a lot of questions on his World Cup selection before next month’s tournament in France, head coach Gatland said: “I think so. We’ll go back to the hotel, sit down as coaches and hopefully finalise it.”

Wales boss Warren Gatland says heavy South Africa loss helps World Cup selection

South Africa send message to Rugby World Cup rivals with Wales demolition

09:45 , Luke Baker

World champions South Africa delivered a ruthless display that bristled with pace and power to demolish Wales 52-16 at the Principality Stadium.

An inexperienced Wales line-up contained a total of only 235 caps and the Springboks showed no mercy as they cruised to a record victory over their opponents in Cardiff.

Wales’ final Rugby World Cup warm-up Test – head coach Warren Gatland will name his 33-strong squad for the tournament on Monday – proved a horribly one-sided affair.

It was the first time in either of Gatland’s reigns as head coach that Wales had conceded 50 or more points.

Centre Jesse Kriel and wing Canan Moodie each scored two tries, while hooker Malcolm Marx, flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and replacement Damian Willemse also touched down, with South Africa’s tally completed by a penalty try and five Manie Libbok conversions.

South Africa send message to Rugby World Cup rivals with Wales demolition

Jac Morgan in line to captain Wales at Rugby World Cup

09:31 , Luke Baker

Jac Morgan looks set to be named as Wales captain for the Rugby World Cup.

The 23-year-old Ospreys flanker led Wales in two of their three warm-up Tests, and undoubtedly occupies pole position.

The waiting game for Wales’ World Cup hopefuls will end just after 11am when Warren Gatland’s 33-man squad is unveiled.

If, as expected, Morgan lands the job, he would follow previous Wales skippers like Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones and Gareth Thomas in captaining his country on the sport’s biggest stage.

Memories would also be evoked of Warburton being appointed as a 22-year-old for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, when Gatland masterminded a run to the semi-finals.

Jac Morgan in line to captain Wales at Rugby World Cup

Wales rugby squad announcement

09:26 , Mike Jones

Welcome to our live coverage of Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad announcement.

Warren Gatland is set to name his 33-man group at 12pm and we’ll be here with all the build-up and reaction.