Taulupe Faletau was one of a number of key players left at home as Warren Gatland named a 43-man squad to travel to Turkey in preparation for the Vodafone Summer Series.
The likes of Owen Williams and Alex Cuthbert have also been omitted alongside Cardiff’s Faletau – meaning they will not be in contention for the opening Summer Series clash with England on August 5.
Joe Roberts and Johnny Williams also missed the trip to Turkey after Gatland’s squad took in a World Cup warm-up camp in Switzerland over the past fortnight.
“We’re really pleased with how our two-week training camp has gone in Switzerland. The players worked extremely hard and made really good progress,” said Gatland.
“As well as having the natural benefits from living at high altitude, players experienced temperatures in the mid-to-late thirties (degrees centigrade) during our on-pitch sessions which will be good preparation for our next camp in Turkey.
“The 43 players travelling to Turkey are all available for selection for the first match against England on August 5. Those not travelling remain in our wider training squad and will join back up with us on our return to Wales.
“We’ve decided to keep a larger group in our squad as we prepare for our three Vodafone Summer Series matches. We know injuries unfortunately can be picked up along the way, so it’s important to ensure that as wide a number of players as possible are up to speed with our plans.”
Wales face England at the Principality Stadium before, a week later, travelling for a reverse fixture at Twickenham, with South Africa then visiting Cardiff on August 19.
The 33-man squad will then be announced for the World Cup in France, which gets under way in September.
— Welsh Rugby Union (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 19, 2023
Wales squad travelling to Turkey
Forwards: K Assiratti (Cardiff), T Basham (Dragons), A Beard (Ospreys), B Carter (Dragons), R Davies (Ospreys), E Dee (Dragons), C Domachowski (Cardiff), R Elias (Scarlets), T Francis (Ospreys), D Jenkins (Exeter), D Lake (Ospreys), D Lewis (Harlequins), D Lydiate (Dragons), K Mathias (Scarlets), J Morgan (Ospreys), S Parry (Ospreys), T Plumtree (Scarlets), T Reffell (Leicester), W Rowlands (Dragons), N Smith (Ospreys), G Thomas (Ospreys), H Thomas (Montpellier), C Tshiunza (Exeter), A Wainwright (Dragons), T Williams (Cardiff)
Backs: J Adams (Cardiff), G Anscombe (unattached), D Biggar (Toulon), S Costelow (Scarlets), G Davies (Scarlets), R Dyer (Dragons), C Evans (Dragons), M Grady (Cardiff), L Halfpenny (unattached), K Hardy (Scarlets), M Llewellyn (Gloucester), G North (Ospreys), L Rees-Zammit (Gloucester), T Rogers (Scarlets), N Tompkins (Saracens), K Williams (Opsreys), L Williams (Cardiff), T Williams (Cardiff)