Lake to win 50th cap for Wales against Spain

WXV2 play-off: Wales v Spain

Venue: Cardiff Arms Park Date: Saturday, 29 June Kick off: 17:35 BST

Coverage: Live connected S4C, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, nan BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded matter commentary, followed by study connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

Centre Kerin Lake will triumph her 50th headdress arsenic Wales return connected Spain successful Saturday's WXV play-off.

Wales request a triumph complete nan Rugby Europe Women’s Championship winners to guarantee they play successful nan 2nd tier of nan world title this autumn.

A triumph would besides guarantee qualification for adjacent year's Rugby World Cup successful England.

Lake comes into nan squad arsenic 1 of 7 players who were crowned Premiership Women's Rugby champions pinch Gloucester-Hartpury past weekend.

Wales caput coach Ioan Cunningham has gone pinch mostly nan aforesaid broadside that hit Italy successful their only triumph of nan Six Nations this year.

There is simply a insignificant shuffle to nan battalion successful nan absence of injured Natalia John, pinch Georgia Evans moving to fastener alongside Abbie Fleming.

They battalion down behind Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips and Sisilia Tuipulotu.

Bethan Lewis comes successful astatine number 8 pinch Alisha Butchers and Alex Callender making up nan backmost row.

Keira Bevan partners Lleucu George successful nan half-backs, pinch Lake forming a acquainted midfield pinch skipper Hannah Jones.

Lisa Neumann and Carys Cox are named connected nan wings, pinch Jenny Hesketh astatine full-back.

Replacement fly-half Robyn Wilkins is recalled aft missing retired connected nan Six Nations squad.

WXV is World Rugby's latest yearly tourney for women's rugby. It launched past twelvemonth pinch Wales playing successful nan apical tier, WXV1.

But aft a disappointing Six Nations, WXV2 is nan champion Wales tin purpose for this September.

If they hit Spain, they will subordinate hosts South Africa, Scotland, Italy, Australia and Japan.

Saturday's loser will driblet into WXV3, which would beryllium a awesome measurement backwards for Wales since turning professional. That tourney will beryllium held successful Dubai against overmuch little classed opposition.

Spain are acquainted opponents to Wales having featured successful nan Women's Six Nations up until 2006.

They hit Wales successful nan past gathering betwixt nan 2 sides, winning 29-5 successful a 2019 autumn Test successful Madrid.

The Spanish broadside travel into nan play-off afloat of assurance having beaten Sweden 53-0 to grounds a seventh consecutive triumph and clinch nan 2024 Rugby Europe Championship.

Currently classed 13th successful nan world, 5 places down Wales, they person besides prepared for Saturday's Test pinch warm-up games against Canada.

Wales caput coach Ioan Cunningham said: “The attraction each of this week has been connected what we request to do and really we are going to play, and making judge we person nan item successful our crippled right.

"We request to play pinch tempo and cognize Spain will position this captious crippled arsenic a measurement to make a statement.

“We request to build connected nan triumph successful our last crippled of nan Guinness Six Nations against Italy and person selected nan bulk of nan squad who delivered connected that day."

Paying tribute to Lake, Cunningham added: "She is simply a celebrated and respected fig successful nan squad and nan players will want to put successful a capacity to observe her accomplishment astatine world level.”

Line-ups

Wales: Jenny Hesketh; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (capt), Kerin Lake, Carys Cox; Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans, Alisha Butchers, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis

Replacements: Molly Reardon, Abbey Constable, Donna Rose, Kate Williams, Gwennan Hopkins, Sian Jones, Robyn Wilkins, Courtney Keight.

Spain: TBC

Replacements:

Officials

Referee: Aurelie Groizeleau (FFR)

Assistants: Holly Wood (RFU), Adele Robert (BEL)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)