With the World Cup on the horizon the Wales coach has opted to rest some of his senior players such as Dan Biggar, Ken Owens, Leigh Halfpenny and Taulupe Faletau. But he has still named a 31 man squad full of experience which will be captained by both Cory Hill and Ellis Jenkins, while Cardiff Blues scrum half Tomos Williams is the only uncapped player to tour.
Here Gatland give his thoughts on his squad selection:
How easy was it to pick this squad?
“Probably 26 or 27 players picked themselves but we had a debate over four or five players.
“We left out 10 or 11 players we think will definitely be in consideration for the World Cup. So it’s a great opportunity for this younger squad who have had some chances over the last 12 months or to make an impression so they’re considered for the future. It’s exciting for them.
“We want to build depth and were pleased with how the players reacted when we made a number of changes for the match with Italy in the Six Nations. In the past, when we’ve made significant changes, we have tended to struggle and it’s been tough for us.
“So it was pleasing to see that performance, particularly in the Six Nations, and it’s a great chance for this group of players to go out and make a statement. They can put some pressure on the coaches for selection in the future and on those players who aren’t travelling.”
Co-captains?
“Cory has been the most improved player in Welsh rugby over the last 18 months. Since he’s come into the squad he’s developed and taken on a real core role with his line-out calling and leadership.
“He’s captained the Dragons as well and we see this as part of his leadership development. Ellis has captained the Blues on a few occasions and Wales Under-20 a few years ago and has obviously got some strong leadership characteristics.
“It’s a great honour for them and we’re looking forward to seeing how they develop in a leadership role.
There might be a situation where one of them is on the bench or not involved at all.
“Maybe, for one of the games, somebody else could step into the captaincy role. Those two players are going to need some help and we will be looking for some leadership from other players in the squad, in particular players like Hadleigh Parkes, Gareth Anscombe, Bradley Davies and Luke Charteris.
“Those players are going to be very important in a support role. Having co-captains is something we have never done.
“Part of the thinking is every one of the 31 in the squad will be involved at some stage in the three games. We think that’s important, particularly at the end of the season, when you go on tour.
“We don’t want half a dozen players not to be involved and not be part of the match-day 23.”
How will it affect your preparation if the Scarlets make the PRO14 final?
“We have spoken about preparing for that. Part of that picking 31 is trying to replicate some of the situation that might happen in the World Cup.
“If that means we have less preparation we will just have to deal with that. If you look at the World Cup schedule with short turnarounds and we won’t have a lot of time together.
“If the Scarlets do get through and hopefully they do we have a number of players , who have been involved with us and hopefully they will be up to speed and slot in.”
What are your full back options?
“We have different options with Hallam Amos and Gareth Anscombe and Rhys Patchell can cover there as well. That is not a position we have nailed down but we are looking to give Hallam an opportunity.
“He has excellent full-back and he can slot in at first receiver. It is a position we are looking to develop some more depth.”
Why have you opted to select Tom Prydie?
“We have been pleased with Tom this year at the Scarlets and played well last weekend. We picked him as a young player and he was unlucky with injuries and missed out on opportunities.
“He is 26 now and has genuine pace. We just felt that we had to see where he is at.
“There are a couple of younger players knocking on the door and we did not want to throw him on the scrap heap and we wanted to pick him on this tour and see where he is at. The next 12 months could be important for him to be in contention for the World Cup.”
What’s it going to be like playing South Africa in America?
“It will be a unique experience and something we have not done before. I will be looking forward to having a different crowd and different atmosphere and being in a city we have not experienced before.
“It will be great for this group of players and take them out of their comfort zone and we will experience that in Japan 2019. It is about how we adapt and respond to that challenge.”
Why have you brought Luke Charteris back into the squad?
“He is a player we have discussed and not been involved for a while now. He has never been out of our thoughts in term of a World Cup spot.
“We have looked at the squad and felt given his experience in the tight five along with Bradley Davies will benefit us. We wanted to send a message that he is still in our thoughts.
“He has not played a lot of rugby and not been involved at all. We wanted to give him this chance and assess where he was and put him in a position hopefully with World Cup selection.”
