Uncapped Dragons get Wales Nations Championship call

Uncapped Dragons centre Aneurin Owen and scrum-half Che Hope have been included in Wales' squad for the Nations Championship.

Steve Tandy has selected a 39-strong group for the November Tests, with hooker Dewi Lake named as captain.

The head coach calls up Dragons lock Seb Davies and Cardiff number eight Taine Basham for the first time since he took charge of the national side.

Cardiff loose-head prop Rhys Barratt, who played in the summer fixture against the Barbarians, is the third uncapped player in the squad, while Dragons wing Rio Dyer earns a recall.

Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell and fit-again number eight Taulupe Faletau are among the notable absentees.

Wales face Japan, New Zealand and Australia in Cardiff and finish against a southern hemisphere opponent on finals weekend at Twickenham.

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Owen was a member of the Wales squad in the summer of 2021 but did not feature in the Tests against Canada or Argentina.

The 26-year-old from Newport has been a key member of the Dragons side that has built on an encouraging 2025-26 with a promising start to the season.

Owen gets his chance in the absence of injured Cardiff centre Ben Thomas to join Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Max Llewellyn and Louie Hennessey as a midfield option.

"Aneurin has been so consistent, you only have to look at what he has done week in and week out," said Tandy.

"I have spoken to a lot of people around how consistent he is with his training standards, communication on the field and attitude to work. He sees the game really well.

"The Dragons have been really competitive and he is a massive driver around that.

"He thoroughly deserves his opportunity because his performances have set him aside from everyone else."

Hope, 23, is brought in for a first taste of international camp and joins Tomos Williams and Reuben Morgan-Williams, with Kieran Hardy facing a lengthy lay-off after a knee injury.

"Che is a really exciting talent, and the way that he has performed for the Dragons has been outstanding," said Tandy.

There is no place for in-form Scarlets wing Macs Page, but Dragons' Dyer, who has also started the season strongly, does earn a recall.

The 26-year-old won the most recent of his 24 caps against South Africa last November.

Leicester's Gabriel Hamer-Webb, who made his Wales debut against Scotland in the Six Nations, also returns after missing out in the summer.

Lock Davies, who moved from Cardiff to Dragons in the summer of 2025, will aim to win his first cap since the 2022 Six Nations.

Dynamic back-row forward Basham has started the season strongly for Cardiff and gets the nod ahead of fit-again Faletau, who made his first appearance of the campaign for Cardiff at Northampton on Sunday.

Basham won the last of his 17 caps against England in the 2024 Six Nations.

"At the end of last season when Cardiff were playing the South African teams, Taine was really impressive and really fronted up," said Tandy.

"He has kicked on and settled into Cardiff really well. He has been telling me all about his line breaks! He's a great character, and this is a great opportunity."

Specialist open-side flanker Reffell, who featured in the summer Tests and has been in fine form for Leicester, misses out through a knee injury.

He will be out for four to six weeks, meaning he will target a return for Tigers after the Nations Championship.

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Lock Dafydd Jenkins, tight-heads Tomas Francis and Archie Griffin, hooker Liam Belcher and centre Hennessey return after being unavailable for the July Tests against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa.

Belcher gets the nod ahead of Elliot Dee, the leading try scorer in the United Rugby Championship (URC), as the third hooker behind captain Lake and Ryan Elias.

Tandy said: "It's great to welcome back the players who were unavailable for the first three rounds of the Nations Championship.

"Added to that, there are a number of players who've been in great form for their clubs, and so we wanted to give them an opportunity in the squad this autumn."

The squad features 14 players from clubs in England plus Montpellier lock Adam Beard.

There are seven call-ups for Cardiff and Scarlets, six for Dragons and four from Ospreys.

There is a round of URC action this weekend, and back-row forward Taine Plumtree and centre Hawkins have been allowed to travel to South Africa with Scarlets for their fixture against Stormers on Saturday.