Ken Owens replaces Justin Tipuric as Wales captain as Warren Gatland names 37-man Six Nations squad

Ken Owens will captain Wales in the Six Nations after head coach Warren Gatland confirmed his 37-man squad for the start of next month’s championship.

Gatland returned to the Welsh rugby bench, one he previously held between 2007 and 2019, in December, replacing Wayne Pivac, who was sacked after just three wins out of 12 in 2022.

He has wasted no time making his mark, replacing former Pivac assistants Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins with Alex King and Mike Forshaw.

Ken Owens has been appointed Wales’ new captain as new era begins under Warren Gatland

Now, Gatland have named a new Wales captain in veteran hooker Owens, 36, who replaces Justin Tipuric, who led Pivac’s side through a disappointing campaign in November.

There are no-limit four players in the Wales Six Nations party in Teddy Williams, Mason Grady, Keiran Williams and Rhys Davies, while experienced scrum-half Rhys Webb is once again involved.

Wales kick off the 2023 Six Nations against Ireland in Cardiff on February 4.

Owens replaces Justin Tipuric (left) who led Wales through their poor November campaign.

“Ken is an incredibly experienced and passionate Welshman – it means a lot to him to play for Wales and he’s also very popular with the players,” Gatland said.

“He came back from injury and was absolutely outstanding during the fall season. If you’re picking a team right now, he’s probably number 1 at that position.

“But he’ll also have some competition with Dewi (Lake) and Bradley (Roberts), which will be great.”

Gatland added: “It’s probably a bigger team than I would normally name, but we want to have a good Six Nations and we also look forward to the World Cup.”

“We have some youngsters that have come in and then we have some older players with a lot of experience that we have to manage.” He’s looking at the whole element for the team and how we get the balance right because it’s definitely going to be challenging over the next 10 months.

‘There are some players who were unfortunate enough not to be in the team, so the message to them is to keep working hard. You are not out of the picture.

Gatland is back as Wales boss and has named a 37-man squad for their Six Nations campaign

Nicky Smith, Ryan Elias and Ross Moriarty are among the experienced Wales internationals who will miss out on selection.

Wyn Jones, Dewi Lake and Liam Williams return to the team after missing the Fall Nations Series due to injury. There are also recalls for Leon Brown, Rhys Carre, Rhys Patchell, Aaron Wainwright, Webb, and Owen Williams.

Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit has also been included in the squad despite currently being sidelined.

Wales have also confirmed the addition of former Worcester head coach Jonathan Thomas to the Gatland backroom squad. Thomas will have responsibility for the contact area.

He said: ‘I am delighted and honored to be part of the coaching team. As a passionate Welshman, my dream and ambition growing up was to play for Wales. Ever since I stopped playing and started coaching, my ambition has been to be part of the international coaching organisation.

“Succeeding and inspiring our great country is what it’s all about and I’m determined to support and help make a difference for the players and staff.”