~RS~q~RS~v=~RS~z~RS~40~RS~)
Six Nations 2013: Meet Wales coach Rob Howley's new boys
RBS SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: WALES V IRELAND
- Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
- Date: Saturday 2 February
- Kick-off: 13:30 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One Wales, BBC One HD, Red Button and online; listen on BBC Radio Wales & online and BBC Radio Cymru; live text commentary on BBC Sport website; watch again on BBC iPlayer
Wales go into the 2013 Six Nations with six players hoping to make their debuts for the reigning champions.
With the national squad bedevilled by injury problems, three of the new names - Andrew Coombs, James King and Olly Kohn - could figure in the second-row.
And only one of the uncapped half dozen is a back - Ospreys wing Eli Walker - while Cardiff Blues provide back-row men Josh Navidi and Andries Pretorius.
Andrew Coombs
Born: 27 October, 1984, Merthyr Tydfil
Position: Lock/back-row
Height/weight: 6ft 4in/17st 2lb
Current team: Newport Gwent Dragons
Former teams: Newport, Pontypool, Nelson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Coombs_A
Little-known fact: Speaks Welsh
Coombs is the latest in a line of Welsh internationals recently developed by Newport Gwent Dragons.
Like retired Wales hooker Lloyd Burns, Coombs is something of a late developer, having been a scaffolder before the Dragons signed him ahead of the 2010-11 season.
Coombs has fought back from being dropped from the Dragons' plans in 2007 to return after a successful stint at feeder club Newport RFC.
James King
Born: 24 July, 1990, Wadonga, Victoria, Australia
Position: Lock
Height/weight: 6ft 4in/16st 7lb
Current team: Ospreys
Former teams: Swansea
Twitter: https://twitter.com/James_d_king
Little-known fact: Almost lost an ear playing for the Ospreys
King has impressed for the Ospreys this season with a series of energetic, forceful displays having taken his chance at regional level amid an injury crisis in the second-row.
Fellow Ospreys Ian Evans (knee) and Alun Wyn Jones (shoulder) are expected to return at some point in the Six Nations.
But their absences could provide King with the chance to prove his value in the Test arena.
Olly Kohn
Born: 19 March, 1981, Bristol
Position: Lock
Height/weight: 6ft 7in/21st 10lb
Current team: Harlequins
Former teams: Bristol
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OllyKohn1
Little-known fact: The Kohn side of his family is from Czechoslovakia.
The Bristol-born lock could become part of a King-Kohn lock partnership amid Wales' injury problems.
At 31, Kohn declared his allegiance to Wales and then became a late call-up to the squad.
He played alongside Wales' most-capped lock Gareth Llewellyn at Bristol and has played his part in Harlequins' rise to become English club champions and Heineken Cup quarter-finalists.
Josh Navidi
Born: 30 December, 1990, Bridgend
Position: Flanker
Height/weight: 6ft 1in, 14st 13lb
Former teams: Cardiff, Glamorgan Wanderers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jnavidi
Little-known fact: Aged 16, he went to St Bedes College in Christchurch, New Zealand to study accountancy and PE
With Wales captain Sam Warburton for a rival and team-mate in the Cardiff Blues back-row, Navidi could have been forgiven for believing his international ambitions were unlikely to be fulfilled.
However, having shone despite some poor Blues displays this term, Navidi finds himself in the Six Nations mix alongside Warburton.
Like Wales coach Robert Howley, Navidi was a pupil at Brynteg School, Bridgend, which Dr Jack Matthews, JPR Williams, Gavin Henson, Nicole Cooke, Mike Hall and Dafydd James also attended.
Andries Pretorius
Born: 26 September, 1985, Nelspruit, South Africa
Position: Number eight
Height/weight: 6ft 4in/17st 4lb
Former teams: Gloucester Academy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndriesPret
Little-known fact: His wife, Rosie, is a Welsh international netball player
South African-born Pretorius has had to bide his time while serving a three-year residency period before Wales came calling.
He arrived in the Welsh capital via Hartpury College, Gloucestershire, which has strong links with Aviva Premiership club Gloucester.
Wales coach Howley hopes Pretorius can put pressure on their Tongan-born star Toby Faletau and add strength in depth to the squad in the process.
Eli Walker
Born: 28, March 1992, Swansea
Position: Wing
Height/weight: 6ft/13st 1lb
Former teams: Swansea
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliWalker24
Little-known fact: Eli is the cousin of Swansea footballer Jazz Richards, who is on loan at Crystal Palace
Dubbed "the new Shane Williams" by former Wales captain and number eight Scott Quinnell, Walker has a lot to live up to.
The 20-year-old has searing pace and is also elusive, marking him out as a threat to any defence.
But he goes into the tournament with a hamstring strain and, if he overcomes that hurdle, then faces the challenge posed by giant Wales wing pair George North and Alex Cuthbert.
Comments
Jump to comments pagination
All posts are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules.
More from Welsh Rugby
Elsewhere on the BBC
-
Watch video On the move in Mumbai
What is it like to live in this humming metropolis where everyone is in a hurry?
-
Comment number 38.
matt31st January 2013 - 19:50
i do not know if im right here put walker on the left wing and put north on the right wing
Link to this (Comment number 38)
Comment number 37.
JohnnyWAL30th January 2013 - 21:58
@36 no doubt about mobility, for the O's his work rate is awesome and has been very physical. I think he is a fantastic player, just at 6'4 i have reservations over him as a long term 2nd row for Wales? I read somewhere he played back row at U20's, when Evans and Jones are fit at the O's again will he continue to play at 2nd row or go back to back row
Link to this (Comment number 37)
Comment number 36.
Come on Wales30th January 2013 - 21:35
JohnnyWAL .... I think he is big and mobile enough
Link to this (Comment number 36)
Comment number 35.
JohnnyWAL30th January 2013 - 21:07
Is King big enough to play 2nd row at this level... although would rather him playing than Lou Reed who i think is not athletic enough to play at international level. Pretorius for me would be a better cover at 6, Wales still need an 8 to cover Toby. I think the WRU need a system like in NZ where the talent is evenly spread through the teams and fund clubs to keep the best Welsh talent in Wales
Link to this (Comment number 35)
Comment number 34.
John30th January 2013 - 20:07
I just cannot belive it , six new caps , three from Wales and one from England, South Africa, and from Australia. Land of my Fathers "Would you belive it " At least the Englisg have fvoreiners with english sounding names like botha and tuigeli, but none of them is a "jonezs, Evans, thomas , roberts, oh I could go on. Sacre bleu comme Ronda
Link to this (Comment number 34)
Comments 5 of 38