Regan Grace will be part of Wales’ 34-player squad in Australia this summer, despite having never played a top-flight game of rugby union.
Grace played two friendlies for Bath last season during his recovery from injury, having previously signed for Racing 92 in a cross-code switch from St Helens where he scored 89 tries in 143 games.
A ruptured Achilles followed by a subsequent relapse meant that Grace never played for Racing, subsequently joining Bath to continue his rehab before featuring in a friendly earlier this year against Gloucester.
Wales’ back-three resources are depleted this summer, following Louis Rees-Zammit’s exit for the NFL, Josh Adams being given a summer off and Keelan Giles’ groin injury. That has led to Grace and uncapped Gloucester wing Josh Hathaway being selected to go on tour, with assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys speaking highly of Grace’s athletic ability last week.
“We have lost a few in the back three and he has got speed. He has got that X-factor,” said Humphreys. “You can’t buy what he has got and we are excited to have him here. He has got gas and he can make things happen.”
Johann van Graan, Grace’s head coach at Bath, has previously discussed the winger’s “clear point of difference in his play”.
Dewi Lake, who impressed against South Africa last weekend, will captain Wales on their tour, with hooker Efan Daniel (Cardiff) the third uncapped player in the squad along with Grace and Hathaway.
Keiron Assiratti (back) and Elliot Dee (ankle) have been ruled out through injury, along with Henry Thomas (foot), while Ryan Elias and Will Rowlands like Adams have also been rested.
Wales will play two Tests against the Wallabies as well as a fixture against the Queensland Reds.
Head coach Warren Gatland said: “We are focusing on getting better as a group. This is a young squad that’s still learning at this level. There are lots of positives and good things that we can build on from the weekend and there are also areas that we will be working hard to address over the next few weeks.”
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