The

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played the ...

toured Australia and New Zealand in June 2003, playing test matches against the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and New Zealand national teams as part of their preparations for the

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

. Wales lost both test matches, first going down 30–10 to Australia in Sydney, before a 55–3 defeat to New Zealand in Hamilton.

Squad

Wales coach Steve Hansen named an initial squad of 30 for their tour to Australia and New Zealand, as well as a pre-tour match against the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Pl ...

's 20-year-old back-rower

Gareth Delve Gareth Leon Delve (born 30 December 1982) is a former Wales international rugby union player, and former captain of Gloucester. In late 2010, he moved to Australia where he went on to captain the Melbourne Rebels. His usual position is number 8 ...

was a surprise selection in the original squad, but he suffered a shoulder injury against the Barbarians and was replaced in the final squad by uncapped

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...

back-rower

Jonathan Thomas Jonathan Thomas (born 27 December 1982, in Pembroke) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player, he played mainly at flanker having also played at number eight and lock. He was previously head coach of Worcester Warriors. On January 17 ...

. The other uncapped players in the final squad were Neath prop Adam Jones,

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carma ...

scrum-half Mike Phillips, Swansea hooker

Huw Bennett Huw Bennett (born 11 June 1983) is a former Wales international rugby union hooker, who played most of his rugby career for the Ospreys. Starting his club rugby in Clevedon, Somerset, Bennett has since represented both Wales and England at v ...

and

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

back-rower

Alix Popham Alix Jon Popham (born 17 October 1979) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played as a number eight or flanker. Born in Newport, he began his career with Newport RFC in 1998, before moving to Leeds Tykes in 2002. He spent three years in En ...

. Four captains were named for the tour: flankers

Colin Charvis Colin Charvis (born 27 December 1972) is a former captain of the Wales national rugby union team and also played for the British & Irish Lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no. 8. Charvis became the w ...

and

Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams, (born 1 September 1975) is a former Wales and British & Irish Lions international rugby union player. A flanker, he was Wales' most-capped forward with 100 caps until surpassed by Gethin Jenkins on 30 November 2013. He ...

, hooker

Robin McBryde Robin Currie McBryde (born 3 July 1970), is a rugby union former player and coach. He gained 37 caps for Wales. He played hooker. Background McBryde was born in north Wales. He is a fluent Welsh speaker. McBryde worked as an overhead linesman ...

and fly-half Stephen Jones.

Matches

Wales vs Barbarians

Wales prepared for their tour to Australia and New Zealand with an uncapped match against the

at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national r ...

on 31 May 2003. It served as a farewell match for fly-half

Neil Jenkins Neil Jenkins, (born 8 July 1971) is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever ...

, who was retiring from international rugby as the all-time top point scorer in test history. The Barbarians scored eight tries during the match, taking a 48–28 lead into the closing stages; Jenkins, who had come on in the 66th minute, set up Tom Shanklin for his hat-trick try, before slotting the final points of the game himself.

Australia vs Wales

New Zealand vs Wales

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wales 2003 rugby union tours 2002–03 in Welsh rugby union

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

2003 in Australian rugby union 2003 in New Zealand rugby union

History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Wales History of rugby union matches between Australia and Wales