Caitlin Lewis will make her Women’s Six Nations bow for Wales against France this Sunday and is one of four Warriors players set to pull on the famous red jersey at Cardiff Arms Park (kick-off 12pm, live on S4C).
Lewis starts on the wing, while second-row Gwen Crabb and blindside flanker Alisha Butchers both get the nod upfront. Ffion Lewis is among the replacements as Wales look to bounce back from their defeat to Ireland less than two weeks ago.
“As we stated during the autumn internationals, our aims are to build depth in our squad 18 months out from the Rugby World Cup.
“Sunday’s game is a fantastic opportunity to play against quality opposition at our home. A number of our players are in the infancy of their international careers and opportunities like this are invaluable ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
“It’s a big challenge, but one we feel they are capable of and deserve. I’m sure they’ll relish the occasion.
“Some girls who’ve been playing well have missed out on this occasion, but it gives other players the chance to step up to the plate.
“France are a truly world class outfit. As with the rest of French rugby, they are well-resourced and are a big and talented team. They’ve lost to France three times recently but by very narrow margins.
“The match will be an excellent gauge for us. We are realistic about where we are in our development as a team and Sunday will be a big occasion to test ourselves against a team in the top four in the world.
“It will be good to play with the crowd behind us at the Arms Park again. It’s always nice to play at home and be part of the Six Nations weekend in Cardiff.
“Our first home game against Italy was good in parts and the support was excellent, so hopefully we can build on both elements.
“The Ireland game highlighted some areas to improve and while I don’t think the score was a fair reflection of the game, we will continue to work hard on putting things right as we prepare for France.”
Wales Women
15 Kayleigh Powell
14 Caitlin Lewis
13 Megan Webb
12 Kerin Lake
11 Lisa Neumann
10 Robyn Wilkins
9 Keira Bevan
1 Gwenilan Pyrs
2 Kelsey Jones
3 Cerys Hale
4 Georgia Evans
5 Gwen Crabb
6 Alisha Butchers
7 Beth Lewis
8 Siwan Lillicrap (C)
Replacements
16 Molly Kelly
17 Cara Hope
18 Ruth Lewis
19 Robyn Lock
20 Manon Johnes
21 Ffion Lewis
22 Courtney Keight
23 Lauren Smyth