Wales has called up Kubota Spears full-back Liam Williams and Secom Rugguts lock Cory Hill for their summer training squad ahead of their tour to Australia.
Williams, 33, was one of Kubota’s best performers in his inaugural season in Japan while Hill, 32, was playing in the Top East League for Saitama-based Secom Rugguts who earned promotion to League One’s third tier next season.
This marks the first time Japan-based players have been picked for Wales after the Six Nations’ basement outfit lowered their 60-cap requirement to 25 for players based overseas in 2023.
Maesycoed-born Hill (below) joined Japan Rugby’s League One outfit Yokohama Canon Eagles in 2021 and spent two seasons with the club before moving to the ambitious Secom Rugguts and last played club rugby in January.
RugbyJP exclusively revealed two weeks ago that Hill was in the frame for a return to the Welsh fold.
Hill is coached by former Pontypool standout Scott Pierce whose son Jacob won League One with Toshiba Brave Lupus this season.
While defending League One champions Kubota underperformed this season, Williams, when available, starred and will return to Japan next season.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “We’ve selected a bigger squad because we don’t have the English club-based players available for the South Africa match. So we will be reducing the squad from 36 to 34 players for Australia.
“I think everyone appreciates and realises that we’re building towards 2027. There were moments during the Six Nations where we played some really good rugby and put the opposition teams under some pressure, but we probably weren’t accurate enough.
“It’s about playing for longer periods, putting halves together and putting an 80-minute performance together which ultimately gives you confidence and gives you that opportunity to win games.”
Wales, who lost all five games in the 2024 Six Nations, face 2019 and 2023 World Cup winners South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday 22 June before two Tests against the Wallabies on Saturday 6 and Saturday 13 July before concluding their tour against Super Rugby side Queensland Reds on Friday 19 July.
Picture courtesy of Secom Rugguts
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