Faletau back for Wales after missing 13 straight losses

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Faletau back for Wales after missing 13 straight losses

Wales rugby great Taulupe Faletau will reappear for the floundering national team for the first time since they last won a Test.

Faletau was picked at No. 8 on Thursday against Italy in Rome in the Six Nations on Saturday.

He played his 104th and last cap for Wales in October 2023, when they beat Georgia 43-19 in Nantes, France, to clean sweep their Rugby World Cup pool.

But Faletau broke his arm in the game and he played only 29 minutes of club rugby in the next 14 months to last December.

A knee issue for the 34-year-old then made him withdraw from Wales’ Six Nations opener in Paris last weekend, when they lost to France 43-0.

While he’s been absent, Wales have lost every Test, a record 13 in a row.

He returns to a team with only 11 survivors of the 23 who played Georgia 16 months ago.

Faletua replaces Aaron Wainwright, who suffered a deep cut to his face in the defeat to France.

Scarlets centre Eddie James handed his first ever start as he comes into the team in place of Owen Watkins, who suffered a suspected knee ligament tear against France and could be out for the rest of the season.

James, who has won three caps off the bench, will partner with Nick Tompkins in the midfield.

Wales team:

15-Liam Williams, 14-Tom Rogers, 13-Nick Tompkins, 12-Eddie James, 11-Josh Adams, 10-Ben Thomas, 9-Tomos Williams, 8-Taulupe Faletau, 7-Jac Morgan (captain), 6-James Botham, 5-Dafydd Jenkins, 4-Will Rowlands, 3-Henry Thomas, 2-Evan Lloyd, 1-Gareth Thomas

Replacements: 16-Elliot Dee, 17-Nicky Smith-18-Keiron Assiratti, 19-Freddie Thomas, 20-Aaron Wainwright, 21-Rhodri Williams, 22-Dan Edwards, 23-Blair Murray.

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