Fourteen changes but James is hooked

Kevin Morgan, the Newport Gwent Dragons full back, is the sole survivor from Jenkins’s Australia starting line-up. James Hook is handed a second chance to impress after coming on as a replacement against the Wallabies, and kicking 13 points with five successes from five attempts.

Ospreys prop Duncan Jones will captain his country for the third time, after leading a squad of young guns on the tour to Argentina in the summer.

“We are making a strong statement with the selection for this game because we believe we have a special group of players here,” said Jenkins. “To make 14 changes and come up with a team like the one we have named today will make us the envy of many rugby nations around the world.”

“From 1 to 15 we have fielded a team of players who have the ability to stake a claim for selection next week. Duncan (Jones) is awarded the captaincy after a sterling performance leading the team out in Argentina.  He is one of many leaders in the squad capable of carrying the responsibility of leading his country. Kevin (Morgan) retains his place at full back, giving us stability in that area.”

“A lot has been said about James Hook’s mature performance on Saturday for such a young man and we have decided to have another look at him this weekend, this time at inside centre. We used him effectively in that position against the Pumas in the summer and he has featured there for his region so this is a chance to further assess his prospects.”

“We would all like to welcome Sonny Parker back into the fold as he is very much a player in form at the moment and in the second row Michael Owen gets a chance to show he is getting back to his best after injury.

“We had a team in mind before the start of the Invesco Perpetual Series to play the South Sea Islanders and we have largely kept to that thinking. We are ensuring everyone in the squad gets a chance to feature this autumn and feel we have the quality to do so. Now it is now up to the players to play themselves into the starting line-up for the rest of the series.”

“Hopefully this match will prove just how much competition for places we have in the squad and give us a few selection headaches for the rest of the campaign.”

“The South Sea Islanders are very much an unknown quantity for us and there is a real danger that if we underestimate them in any way we may have a loss on our hands. We know all about the quality players they have in their squad, but can only guess as to what the sum of those parts will offer in opposition on Saturday.”

“We must plan as we always do, guard against complacency and be ready for the challenge they represent. They are a side of massive potential and we are in for an exciting ride in front of a huge, rugby loving Millennium Stadium crowd on Saturday.”

Wales: Kevin Morgan; Lee Byrne, Sonny Parker, James Hook, Mark Jones; Ceri Sweeney, Michael Phillips; Duncan Jones (C), Rhys Thomas, Chris Horsman, Michael Owen, Robert Sidoli, Alun Wyn Jones, Gavin Thomas, Alix Popham
Replacements: Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Jon Thomas, Gareth Cooper, Gavin Evans, Shane Williams