Louis Rees-Zammit has been moved back to his favoured wing as Wales named their team to face Fiji on Saturday in their opening Nations Championship fixture at Cardiff City Stadium.
Match fee dispute resolved
Wales' preparations were disrupted by a dispute between players and the Welsh Rugby Union over match fees, which was finally resolved late on Wednesday afternoon. Head coach Steve Tandy was then able to focus on the tricky opener against Fiji, who won on their last visit to the Welsh capital.
With trips to Argentina and South Africa to come later this month, the match against the Flying Fijians represents perhaps the best opportunity for Wales to win this summer as they continue to rebuild.
Six changes to the starting XV
Following last week's uncapped win over the Barbarians at Twickenham, Tandy has made six changes to his side. The most notable is the return of Rees-Zammit to his favoured position on the wing.
The 25-year-old has had an interesting first season back in rugby after returning from the NFL. He started a couple of games on the wing for Wales in the autumn following his move to Bristol Bears, scoring against Japan and New Zealand, before both club and country moved him to full-back midway through the campaign.
After scoring three tries in his first two starts at full-back for the Bears, Rees-Zammit then went through 10 matches for Bristol and Wales in the position without crossing the whitewash. Only after being moved back to the wing by Bears director of rugby Pat Lam did he score again late in the season.
Those five matches in the Six Nations without a try equal Rees-Zammit's longest stretches in a Welsh jersey without scoring, having gone five Tests without a try either side of his brace against South Africa in Pretoria in 2022.
Rees-Zammit's record against Fiji
Fiji have tended to be a good team for Rees-Zammit to face. Of the 13 international teams he has faced, Fiji are the only one he has scored against on every occasion, touching down in his last two meetings in 2021 and 2023. Both of those were on the wing, where he will start on Saturday.
Despite a niggle keeping him out of training on Tuesday, Rees-Zammit is fit to play. He has 16 tries in his previous 40 caps.
Other changes in the backline and pack
Blair Murray keeps his place at full-back from the win over the Barbarians, while Cardiff's Josh Adams is brought back into the side after being on waterboy duties in London last Saturday. The only other change in the backline is Saracens-bound Tomos Williams coming in at scrum-half.
In the pack, there are three changes. Rhys Carre replaces Gareth Thomas at loosehead, while Adam Beard starts alongside Ben Carter after being in Top 14 final action with Montpellier last Saturday. The other change sees back-row Alex Mann continue to be the only other player alongside captain Dewi Lake to start every Test match under Tandy, with Saturday being his 10th cap under the new Wales coach.
On the bench, Taine Plumtree provides second-row cover, while Ospreys tighthead Ben Warren is in line for his Test debut.
Wales team to face Fiji
Starting XV: Blair Murray; Louis Rees-Zammit, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (c), Dillon Lewis, Ben Carter, Adam Beard, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Ben Warren, Taine Plumtree, James Botham, Kieran Hardy, Sam Costelow, Ellis Mee.
