Wales head coach Warren Gatland has selected two uncapped players in his 35-player squad that will begin preparations for their Autumn Nations Series campaign.

The fresh-faced duo are Gloucester second-row Freddie Thomas and Scarlets wing Blair Murray, with Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake once again being named as captain.

Wales are set to take on Fiji, Australia and South Africa on consecutive weekends this November at Principality Stadium as they hope to end a dismal losing streak.

Several players return

In a boost, Adam Beard, Ryan Elias, Jac Morgan, Will Rowlands, Henry Thomas and Tomos Williams return to the squad having missed the Tests in Australia in July.

There are also recalls for Gareth Anscombe, Max Llewellyn, Tom Rogers, Rhodri Williams and Nicky Smith, who is finally rewarded for his sustained form at prop.

Smith impressed for the Ospreys last season and since moving to Leicester Tigers in the Premiership he has continued to do so, receiving a deserved Test call-up.

“The coaches and I can’t wait to get started for this Autumn Nations Series and having the players back in camp next Monday to begin preparations for our first game against Fiji,” said Gatland.

“We feel this is an exciting squad with some experience coming back to join the younger players. We know they are going to work incredibly hard as a group this November.

“We have three very different opposition in Fiji, Australia and South Africa, but are looking forward to the challenges that each will pose.

“The autumn campaign is always special because we have back-to-back matches at home each weekend and there is no better place to go and play than Principality Stadium with all the passion and energy of our incredible fans.”

Regarding the captaincy, Gatland added: “I thought Dewi did a really good job with the captaincy over the summer, so we’ve decided for him to continue in the role this autumn.”

First up Fiji make a trip to the Welsh capital on November 10. This will be the 15th Test match and 18th fixture overall between the two nations, having first met just over 60 years ago when a Wales XV won 28–22 at Cardiff Arms Park.

The Wallabies are the next team in town the following weekend (November 17), with Wales hosting Australia in Cardiff after two Test matches down under this summer.

To close a huge Autumn Nations Series 2024, Wales take on world champions South Africa on November 23. This fixture will help mark the stadium’s 25th anniversary, having opened in the summer of 1999 with a match against South Africa as Wales celebrated their first victory against the Springboks.

Wales squad for Autumn Nations Series

Forwards: Keiron Assiratti, Adam Beard, James Botham, Ben Carter, Ryan Elias, Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (c), Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Will Rowlands, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Freddie Thomas, Henry Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Aaron Wainwright

Backs: Gareth Anscombe, Ellis Bevan, Sam Costelow, Rio Dyer, Mason Grady, Josh Hathaway, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Ben Thomas, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Rhodri Williams, Tomos Williams, Cameron Winnett