Full-back Liam Williams and prop Samson Lee will both begin comebacks after injury when Wales open their campaign against Uruguay in Cardiff on Sunday.
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Williams has not played since the end of last season due to a foot problem, while his Scarlets colleague Lee has been sidelined since suffering an Achilles injury during Wales’ Six Nations victory over Ireland six months ago.
Sam Warburton captains the team, but he will wear the number six shirt, with Justin Tipuric at openside flanker, and there are also opportunities in the team named by head coach Warren Gatland for wing Hallam Amos, fly-half Rhys Priestland and scrum-half Gareth Davies.
There’ll be loads of ‘oh Wales shouldn’t be worried’….reality is that’s a good win for England against a tough Fijian side….
— Martyn Williams (@martynewilliams) September 18, 2015
Star players like George North, Jamie Roberts, Dan Biggar, Gethin Jenkins, Alun-Wyn Jones and Taulupe Faletau sit out the match ahead of next week’s crunch Twickenham appointment with England.
Williams’ return to full fitness is particularly timely given the World Cup-ending knee injury suffered by Leigh Halfpenny during Wales’ final tournament warm-up fixture against Italy a fortnight ago. And Gatland will hope Williams can quickly rediscover the form that made him such a key part of Wales’ performances last term, when he featured on the wing.
Lee, too, is pivotal to Wales’ hopes of progressing from a punishing pool that also features England, Australia and Fiji, having established a huge reputation in a short space of time for his powerful scrummaging.
Priestland, meanwhile, starts his first Test since last year’s autumn programme as Wales look to rack up the points before heading to Twickenham next week.
Gatland said: “Playing in a World Cup, in your home country, at your home ground, is a great honour, and I’m sure the players will take that into the game.
“It is great to have Liam and Samson back in the starting lineup. They have trained incredibly hard, and it is a great opportunity for them.”
