Bath lock Dominic Day and Exeter prop Tomas Francis have both been included in Wales’ 31-man squad for the World Cup announced Monday.
Day was one of the five second rows included in the squad, with Francis, who only made his Test debut last weekend, joining fellow props Paul James, Gethin Jenkins, Samson Lee and Aaron Jarvis.
After the squad was announced by Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Gatland revealed first-choice lock Alun Wyn Jones had suffered a knee strain during Wales’s 16-10 warm-up win away to Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Jones is now expected to be sidelined for two weeks, placing a question mark against his availability for Wales’ World Cup opener against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on September 20.
Among the seven players left out from Gatland’s original 38-man training squad was New Zealand-born fly-half Gareth Anscombe.
Qualified for Wales through his Welsh mother, Anscombe joined Cardiff Blues from Super Rugby giants Waikato in 2014. He made his Wales debut in the 35-21 warm-up defeat by Ireland in Cardiff on August 8 but suffered an ankle injury in training last week. Gatland has included just two fly-halves in Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland.
The Welsh have been drawn in a tough World Cup pool that features main tournament hosts England and two-time champions Australia, as well as dangerous outsiders Fiji.
As a result, at least one of rugby union’s major nations will fail to reach the quarter-finals, with only two teams from each of the four pools qualifying for the last eight. Gatland’s men conclude their warm-up programme at home to Italy, thrashed 48-7 by Scotland last weekend, in Cardiff this coming Saturday.
Wales Rugby World Cup squad
Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon/FRA), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), George North (Northampton/ENG), Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins/ENG), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Matthew Morgan (Bristol/ENG), Rhys Priestland (Bath/ENG), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues)
Forwards: Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), James King (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Racing 92/FRA), Dominic Day (Bath), Bradley Davies (Wasps/ENG), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter/ENG), Paul James (Ospreys), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Samson Lee (Scarlets)