Interim senior men’s head coach Matt Sherratt has named a 33-player Wales squad to travel to Japan this summer - and he names five Dragons in the squad.
Hooker Dewi Lake will captain the 581-cap squad for the series.
Second-row Ben Carter, fly-half Sam Costelow and tight-head prop Archie Griffin all return having missed the Guinness Six Nations due to injury.
Kieran Hardy, Alex Mann, Josh Macleod, James Ratti, Johnny Williams and Cameron Winnett are all called up again for Wales in a squad that has an average age of 26.
Dafydd Jenkins will have elective surgery and Henry Thomas needs to seek specialist opinion on a long-term condition, so neither will join the squad this summer.
A decision has been taken to give Adam Beard and Will Rowlands a break this summer, so they have not been selected in the squad.
Sherratt said: “I’m excited to get the players together in camp to begin preparations for our summer campaign. I think there’s a good blend of experience and young talent selected and that this group has a lot of potential.
“Going to Japan this July is a challenge the coaches and I are relishing. We are expecting a fierce contest from Japan in these Test matches.
“Over the next few weeks in camp, it’s about working hard, getting all our prep right on and off the pitch and gelling together as a group.”
Players will assemble in Wales camp on a staggered basis from Monday depending on when their club season ends, before the squad flies out to Japan at the end of June.
The two-Test series against the Brave Blossoms begins with Wales returning to Kitakyushu, the city that hosted the squad for a training camp ahead of the world cup in 2019, where the first Test takes place on 5 July at Mikuni World Stadium. Following that Wales head to Kobe for the second Test on July 12 at Noevir Stadium.
WALES SQUAD FOR JAPAN TEST SERIES:
Forwards (19)
Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 14 caps)
Liam Belcher (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – uncapped / heb gap)
Ben Carter (Dragons / Dreigiau – 12 caps)
Chris Coleman (Dragons / Dreigiau – uncapped / heb gap)
Elliot Dee (Dragons / Dreigiau – 56 caps)
Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 108 caps)
Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby / Caerfaddon – 6 caps)
Dewi Lake (Ospreys / Gweilch 20 caps) captain / capten
Josh Macleod (Scarlets – 2 caps)
Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 5 caps)
Garyn Phillips (Ospreys / Gweilch – uncapped / heb gap)
Taine Plumtree (Scarlets – 7 caps)
James Ratti (Ospreys / Gweilch – 1 cap)
Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers / Caerlŷr – 27 caps)
Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers / Caerlŷr – 54 caps)
Gareth Thomas (Ospreys / Gweilch – 40 caps)
Freddie Thomas (Gloucester Rugby / Caerloyw – 3 caps)
Aaron Wainwright (Dragons / Dreigiau – 57 caps)
Teddy Williams (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 6 caps)
Backs (14)
Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 61 caps)
Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 18 caps)
Dan Edwards (Ospreys / Gweilch – 2 caps)
Keelan Giles (Ospreys / Gweilch – uncapped / heb gap)
Kieran Hardy (Ospreys / Gweilch – 23 caps)
Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys / Gweilch – uncapped / heb gap)
Blair Murray (Scarlets – 8 caps)
Macs Page (Scarlets – uncapped / heb gap)
Joe Roberts (Scarlets – 5 caps)
Tom Rogers (Scarlets – 9 caps)
Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 12 caps)
Johnny Williams (Scarlets – 7 caps)
Rhodri Williams (Dragons / Dreigiau – 9 caps)
Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby / Caerdydd – 9 caps)
Going to Japan this July is a challenge the coaches and I are relishing. We are expecting a fierce contest from Japan in these Test matches...
