Depleted Wales' difficult build-up to their Autumn Nations Series opener against New Zealand has shown no sign of abating after another key player was ruled out.
Barely 30 minutes after the team was officially announced for Saturday’s clash, Wales head coach Wayne Pivac revealed British and Irish Lions forward Ken Owens had failed a fitness test.
Owens, sidelined by a back problem that will require a scan, has been replaced in the starting line-up by his fellow Scarlets hooker Ryan Elias, with uncapped Cardiff player Kirby Myhill providing bench cover.
With the Principality Stadium encounter falling outside World Rugby’s autumn international window, Wales are without England-based players like Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and Louis Rees-Zammit because they have not been released by their clubs.
It's a big blow to lose any player that you have initially selected. We have selected a certain side and trained a certain way. It is a disruption, but it’s a massive chance for Ryan.
A number of key personnel are absent through injuries, with Lions such as Owens, George North, Josh Navidi and Justin Tipuric all out, while centre Willis Halaholo is isolating after testing positive for coronavirus and Liam Williams is recovering from appendix surgery.
The total list of absentees runs comfortably into double figures, providing a challenging scenario as Wales face an opponent they last beat in 1953, losing all 31 subsequent Tests against them, including 16 at home.
Pivac said: "It’s a big blow to lose any player that you have initially selected. We have selected a certain side and trained a certain way. It is a disruption, but it’s a massive chance for Ryan.
"Ken has got a back problem. We rested him from training on Tuesday, and we asked him to do a couple of things this morning. We checked him again just after lunch, and the decision was made that he won’t be right and we won’t risk him."
On a plus side for Pivac, Gareth Anscombe will make his first Wales appearance for more than two years and there is a full international debut for 21-year-old Dragons flanker Taine Basham.
Ospreys fly-half Anscombe, who was born in New Zealand and qualifies for Wales via his mother, suffered a major knee injury during Wales’ World Cup warm-up game against England in August 2019.
Anscombe, who has won 27 caps, returned to action last month and has started three Ospreys matches in the United Rugby Championship.
On the bench, Cardiff’s former Bath fly-half Rhys Priestland is called up after an absence of four years.
Wales: Johnny McNicholl; Owen Lane, Jonathan Davies, Johnny Williams, Josh Adams; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Tomas Francis; Adam Beard, Alun-Wyn Jones (capt); Ross Moriarty, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Kirby Myhill, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Will Rowlands, Seb Davies, Gareth Davies, Rhys Priestland, Ben Thomas
