Williams out as Wales change four for Australia

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v Australia

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Sunday, 17 November Kick off: 16:10 GMT

Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC 5 Live Extra and BBC Sounds, follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the Autumn Nations Series match against Australia in Cardiff on Sunday.

The Gloucester half-back suffered a shoulder injury in the 24-19 defeat against Fiji and is replaced by Cardiff's Ellis Bevan.

Head coach Warren Gatland has made four changes as Wales bid to avoid a record 11th consecutive international defeat.

Scarlets wing Tom Rogers replaces the injured Mason Grady, while flankers Jac Morgan and James Botham come in for Taine Plumtree and Tommy Reffell.

Dragons scrum-half Rhodri Williams, 31, is named on the replacements' bench, more than 10 years since winning his last cap.

Quartet of changes

Morgan will make his first international start since leading Wales in the World Cup quarter-final defeat against Argentina in October 2023 in Marseille.

The flanker missed the 2024 Six Nations because of a knee problem and the summer tour as a result of a hamstring injury.

Morgan, 24, was named on the bench for the defeat against Fiji but made an impression when he came on in the second half.

Cardiff back row Botham was also prominent in the latter stages last weekend and comes in for Plumtree, who drops out of the 23-man squad, while Reffell is on the bench.

Cardiff wing Grady was ruled out of the autumn series after suffering a first-half injury in the defeat against Fiji, with Rogers preferred to Rio Dyer and Josh Hathaway.

Gatland has opted for the more traditional balance of five forwards and three backs on his bench this time after the tactic of six forwards and two backs backfired against Fiji.

After losing Grady to injury, Gatland admitted afterwards the wrong replacement had been sent on, with Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow playing out of position rather than Cardiff scrum-half Bevan, who had been allocated to cover the wing.

Scarlets centre Eddie James is named as a replacement against Australia.

Unwanted history boys?

Wales slumped to a record-equalling 10th successive Test match defeat last weekend, with the current sequence matching a run of failures in 2002 and 2003 under Gatland's fellow New Zealander Steve Hansen.

Gatland's side have not tasted international success since beating World Cup pool stage opponents Georgia in October 2023 and have slipped to a lowest position of 11th in World Rugby's rankings.

This includes finishing bottom of the Six Nations for the first time in 21 years, summer defeats against South Africa and Australia and now a first loss against Fiji in Cardiff.

Since replacing Wayne Pivac and returning for a second stint as Wales head coach in December 2022, Gatland has won just six out of 22 games.

Australia arrive in Cardiff on the back of a spectacular 42-37 success against England and have won nine times from their last 11 visits to the Welsh capital.

Wales team to face Australia

Winnett; Rogers, Llewellyn, B Thomas, Murray; Anscombe, Bevan; G Thomas, Lake (capt), Griffin, Rowlands, Beard, Botham, Morgan, Wainwright.

Replacements: Elias, N Smith, Assiratti, Tshiunza, Reffell, R Williams, Costelow, James.