Wales
Warren Gatland names Wales squad for Ireland warm-up
ESPN Staff
August 4, 2015
Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips© Stu Forster/Getty Images

Mike Phillips will be given a chance to stake his claim for the Wales scrum-half berth when Warren Gatland's men face Ireland in their first World Cup warm-up at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

The 32-year-old finds himself behind Rhys Webb in the pecking order for the Welsh No.9 jersey, but he will be joined by James Hook in the half-back partnership as World Cup preparations get underway in earnest.

Head coach Warren Gatland is set to trim his 47-man training squad to between 36 and 38 players after the clash in Cardiff, and must cut it down to a final 31 on August 31.

Wing George North will have to wait to make his return to international action, with the Wales management unwilling to rush him back as he recovers from a series of head injuries.

North has not played since March 27 when he suffered a bang to the head while on Northampton duty against Wasps. It was his third head knock last season after he sustained one in November and another in their Six Nations opener against England.

Wales squad to face Ireland:

15 Hallam Amos, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Eli Walker, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips, 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Richard Hibbard, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 4 Jake Ball 5 Dominic Day, 6 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Dan Baker.

Replacements: Rob Evans, Kristian Dacey, Scott Andrews, James King, Taulupe Faletau, Lloyd Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Matthew Morgan.

© ESPN Staff

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