Steve Tandy has named six uncapped players in an extended 48-man Wales squad for the upcoming summer internationals, with Exeter back-rower Kane James and Harlequins centre Bryn Bradley among the newcomers.
Joining them are Dragons back-row duo Ryan Woodman and Harrison Keddie, Cardiff loose-head prop Rhys Barratt, and Ospreys tight-head Ben Warren. The squad also features recalls for Dragons prop Dillon Lewis, Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell, Scarlets centre Joe Roberts, and Cardiff scrum-half Ellis Bevan.
British and Irish Lions flanker Jac Morgan, Cardiff lock Teddy Williams, and centre Max Llewellyn have been included after missing the Six Nations due to injury. However, Wales tight-head props Tomas Francis and Archie Griffin will miss the four-match summer programme. Francis, who moves to Sale from Provence next season, has been rested, while Bath’s Griffin is set to undergo surgery.
Wales had injury concerns over hooker Dewi Lake and Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow, but both have been named in the squad. There is no place for Scarlets flanker Josh Macleod, Dragons trio Rio Dyer, Elliot Dee, and Brodie Coghlan, or Ospreys quartet Owen Watkin, Morgan Morris, Morgan Morse, and Harri Deaves.
No captain has been announced for the extended squad. Morgan has been absent from Wales’ last eight internationals after suffering a shoulder injury against Argentina in November 2025, with Lake captaining the side in those matches.
Wales will play four games this summer: a warm-up against the Barbarians at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 27 June, followed by three Nations Championship fixtures against Fiji, Argentina, and South Africa.
The squad includes 33 players based in Wales, with Cardiff contributing 12, Scarlets nine, Ospreys seven, and Dragons five. The 15 players based outside Wales will be unavailable for the Barbarians match as it falls outside World Rugby’s international window.
Players will join the Wales camp on a staggered schedule depending on when their club seasons end, with the first group due on Monday, 1 June. “Some players will finish next weekend, and some might not come into the squad until 27 June, so there’s a lot of staggering — that’s the reason for the extended squad,” said Tandy. “There will be an updated squad after the Barbarians game before we go into the Nations Championship.”
Who are the new faces?
James, 21, is a former England Under-20s World Cup winner, born in Pembrokeshire and raised in Cardiff. At 16, he attended Sedbergh School in Cumbria, considered one of England’s top rugby schools. After playing for Wales Under-18s, he switched to England Under-20s, earning 19 caps and winning a World Rugby U20 Championship. James, who can play flanker or number eight, joined Exeter and has been a regular squad member this season. He was tipped as a potential Six Nations bolter but injured his ankle just 12 minutes into the Challenge Cup win against Cardiff in January. He has been sidelined since but hopes to return by the end of May.
“He’s Welsh,” said Tandy. “Just having spoken to Kane when I arrived, and staying in contact, he’s an awesome human being. He’s focused on what he wants to become. We’re very lucky to have Kane. He’s very motivated to play for us. Probably the big thing I also like about Kane is he can play anywhere in the back row. He’s got pace, he’s explosive, and he’s smart with how he sees things. There’s so much to like about Kane and how he attacks it.”
Bradley, 23, was born in south London and attended school there, later developing through Harlequins’ system.
