Leigh Halfpenny to start for Wales in Six Nations opener with Ireland

Andrew Baldock

31 January 2023 at 7:08 am·1-min read

Leigh Halfpenny will start for Wales (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive)

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny will make his first Test match start for 19 months in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against Ireland.

Halfpenny, who has won 97 caps, last featured in the starting line-up when Wales beat Canada during their 2021 summer internationals.

He is joined in the back-three by Josh Adams and Rio Dyer, while Wales head coach Warren Gatland has selected six Ospreys forwards, plus centre Joe Hawkins, with Saracens’ Nick Tompkins missing out.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 𝐂𝐘𝐌𝐑𝐔 𝐗𝐕 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Your Welsh 23 to face @IrishRugby at @principalitysta

💪 Amdani!#WelshRugby | #GuinnessSixNations
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) January 31, 2023

The Principality Stadium encounter kicks off Gatland’s second stint as Wales boss, with his previous reign between 2008 and 2019 yielding four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals.

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