USA v WALES
Venue: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Chicago Date: Saturday, 6 June May Kick-off: 1910 BST Coverage: Live on S4C, full commentary on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, plus Sunday highlights on Scrum V (BBC TWO Wales & online, 1830-1920 BST)
 Dwayne Peel last started for Wales against Italy in February, 2007 |
Dwayne Peel makes his first Wales start in 14 Tests as part of five changes to the starting line-up to face the USA in Chicago on Saturday. Peel and Nicky Robinson replace Gareth Cooper and Dan Biggar at half-back while Mark Jones takes Chris Czekaj's wing spot. Up front Ian Gough is in for injured Bradley Davies and Richard Hibbard makes way for Gareth Williams. The USA clash will be Wales' 600th Test match and their second tour Test. Tour coach Robin McBryde said: "We have added some more experience to the back line with Mark Jones recovering from injury and both Nicky and Dwayne deserving their chances on this tour. "It's a particularly tough call on Dan Biggar - it's not often you get a man-of-the-match performance and sit out the next one - but it is not a reflection on his performance, just a matter of giving Nicky the opportunity.  | We have an opportunity to finish the season on a high by producing the kind of rugby we know we are capable of against USA Wales caretaker coach Robin McBryde |
"Ian Gough also brings a wealth of experience to the pack with Gareth Williams handed a chance to show what he can do. "We know we have another level in us and want to step up the intensity and improve on the performance from last week. "We have an opportunity to finish the season on a high by producing the kind of rugby we know we are capable of against USA on Saturday and we are both determined to perform and focused on the task ahead." Wing Jones missed Saturday's 32-23 win against Canada in Toronto with a knee injury and Cooper hobbled out of Saturday's win, but is fit to take a place on the bench. Newport Gwent Dragons lock Luke Charteris is also a replacement after flying in to replace Davies in the squad after the Cardiff Blue chipped a bone in his neck against the Canucks. The selection means late tour call-up Sonny Parker and Scarlets forward Josh Turnbull are the only members of the party not to have been included in a match-day squad. "Sonny has been a great tourist and he deserves credit for the contribution he has made to the tour behind the scenes," McBride added. | 606: DEBATE |
"He answered a last-minute call to replace James Hook after he was called up to Lions duty and he has shown his experience as an international rugby player by helping to take some of our younger squad members on. "Josh is unlucky, but he will hopefully have benefited from the time he has spent in the international environment and will continue that learning experience for the rest of the week. "There is an opportunity for him now to use the things he has learnt on this tour as a springboard for the future." Charteris was named in McBryde's original training squad for the tour, but stayed behind to help the Dragons' beat Calvisano 42-17 in Friday's Heineken Cup play-off. Wales named an initial 32-man squad for north America tour which was reduced to 26 when four Dragons players - Charteris, Jason Tovey, Lewis Evans and Dan Lydiate - were ruled out because of the Heineken play-off.
Wales: Daniel Evans (Scarlets); Mark Jones (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Tom James (Cardiff Blues); Nicky Robinson (Gloucester), Dwayne Peel (Sale); Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Gareth Williams (Cardiff Blues), John Yapp (Blues), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Deiniol Jones (Blues), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets), Robin Sowden-Taylor (Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Craig Mitchell (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (Blues), Gareth Cooper (Blues), Daniel Biggar (Ospreys), Jonathan Spratt (Ospreys).
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