Hamer-Webb to Make Wales Debut Against Scotland
Leicester wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, who has featured in eight games for his club this season, is set to make his Wales debut in the Six Nations match against Scotland at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Wales head coach Steve Tandy has made four changes to the squad following their 54-12 defeat to France. Among the changes, Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow returns, while Dragons lock Ben Carter and Scarlets flanker Taine Plumtree have been promoted to the starting lineup. Additionally, Aaron Wainwright switches from blind-side flanker to number eight.
Players Ellis Mee (wing), Dan Edwards (fly-half), Adam Beard (lock), and Olly Cracknell (number eight) have been omitted from the squad. Gloucester lock Freddie Thomas, Cardiff flanker James Botham, and Scarlets full-back Blair Murray are included on the replacements bench for the first time in this tournament.
Wales have conceded a total of 102 points in their opening two heavy losses against England and France.
"We feel this is the best team to take on Scotland," said Tandy. "With a six-day turnaround, you want some freshness as well going into the game."
Hamer-Webb Rewarded After Choosing Wales
Hamer-Webb, who transferred from Cardiff to Leicester ahead of the 2025-26 season, will earn his first start following his initial Six Nations call-up. Although he played age-grade rugby for England, he qualifies to represent Wales through his mother.
The 25-year-old will become the 1,221st men's international to represent Wales when he takes the field at Principality Stadium this weekend. Scarlets wing Ellis Mee has been dropped, while Cardiff’s Josh Adams retains his place after starting in the defeats to England and France.
"Gabe has impressed me in the way he's attacked training, the way he's adapted and the way he's settled into the squad," Tandy said. "His training efforts have been outstanding. When you dig into his background at Leicester, even when he wasn't in the team, everyone said he was an amazing team player. He also kept pushing, he never gave up and then when he had his Leicester opportunity he took it with two hands. Now this opportunity has come up and it's thoroughly deserved."
Costelow, aged 25, last featured for Wales when he started in the 24-19 defeat against Japan in Kitakyushu in July 2025. Ospreys fly-half Dan Edwards has started the previous seven matches in the Wales number 10 role, while Harlequins half-back Jarrod Evans has been a regular replacement.
Carter and Plumtree Promoted to Starting Lineup
Dragons co-captain Ben Carter replaces Montpellier lock Adam Beard, who made a critical error against France. Beard attempted a kick through that resulted in a try for France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, with television footage showing Tandy’s visible frustration.
Carter, who has 16 caps, has previously come off the bench against England and France but has not started a Six Nations match. Scarlets back rower Taine Plumtree replaces Leicester number eight Olly Cracknell.
Wales have lost 23 of their last 25 internationals and endured 13 consecutive Six Nations defeats. Their last home win in the tournament at Cardiff was against Scotland in February 2022. The Principality Stadium crowd of 57,744 for that match was the lowest attendance for a Wales home game in the Six Nations.
Scotland, who will announce their team on Thursday, arrive in Cardiff after a 31-20 victory over England in Edinburgh.
"This is our third game of the championship and we want to build on our performance," Tandy said. "We want to see more consistent moments and back-to-back moments, which we feel if we get, we'll be closer to getting the outcome we want from games."
Wales Team to Play Scotland
Wales: Rees-Zammit; Hamer-Webb, James, Hawkins, Adams; Costelow, T Williams; Carre, Lake (capt), Francis, Jenkins, Carter, Plumtree, Mann, Wainwright.
Replacements: Elias, Smith, Griffin, F Thomas, Botham, Hardy, J Evans, Murray.
Match Details
Fixture: Wales v Scotland
Venue: Principality Stadium
Date & Time: Saturday, 21 February at 16:40 GMT
