Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Five previous visits to the famous venue had yielded no success for Brecel but, having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, he switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.

Resuming 9-8 in front after a first day whose headlines were hogged by Selby’s historic maximum break, Brecel blasted four centuries in a blistering penultimate session to severely test his opponent’s storied reputation for triumphing against the odds.

Brecel proceeded to extend his lead to 16-10 but watched in increasing exasperation as Selby clawed back five in a row to threaten a dramatic finale before the Belgian edged one frame closer and then got over the line in style with his fifth century of the match.

His victory made the 28-year-old the youngest winner since Shaun Murphy in 2005 and capped a remarkable if belated ascent from Brecel, whose outrageous promise as a junior had threatened to evaporate in a relatively frustrating few years on the professional circuit.

And it was all the more remarkable in the context of Brecel’s claims that he had come into the tournament – and squeezed past Ricky Walden in a final-frame decider in the opening round – fuelled by games of darts and drinking binges.

Such a refreshing approach, combined with an exhilarating intent to take on almost every conceivable pot, made him an instant favourite among Crucible fans and sabotaged the attritional approach with which Selby has won down so many of his previous opponents.

If Selby, two of whose previous title wins had entailed recovering from greater deficits than the four frames by which he twice trailed on the opening day, will have been undaunted after Sunday’s opening session, Monday’s resumption appeared to put hopes of a fifth title in stark perspective.

Brecel looked simply devastating, firing three centuries in the first four frames of the day to fashion a 13-9 lead before the mid-session interval gave the favourite some respite from the avalanche of potting that had come his way.

The four-time champion looked distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark fightbacks.

Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, winning two in a row, including a potentially pivotal 23rd frame after a lengthy safety battle.

Yet where other opponents might have felt the pressure, Brecel was unfazed, and he duly returned to the table to sink an audacious opening red before proceeding to clear the balls for his nerveless fourth century of the session.

Arguably Brecel’s most impressive frame was yet to come, as he wiped out Selby’s carefully constructed 40-point lead off the back of another long red, his own pressure-filled break of 40 every bit as rewarding as his earlier hundreds.

Brecel continued his potting exploits when he took the first frame of the final session with a break of 67 to move two frames from victory at 16-10.

Inevitably, however, Selby stirred. He launched his improbable fightback with a break of 78 before slugging his way through a long and scrappy frame to bring Brecel back within four frames at 16-12.

These were worrying times for the Belgian, whose long potting percentage was beginning to nosedive, and Selby ruthlessly converted his opportunities by taking the next three frames including his third century of the final.

Brecel had not potted a ball for an hour, and when he missed another rash attempt at a long red early in the next frame he returned to his seat with a wry smile, seemingly resigned to the increasing futility of trying to keep Selby at bay.

But having battled back to the brink of parity, there was one more dramatic momentum shift in the 32nd frame when Selby missed a simple black, allowing Brecel to stop the rot, before a brilliant knock of 112 got him over the line.

Alex Iwobi rescued a point for Everton in a pulsating 2-2 draw at drop rivals Leicester.

The forward capitalised on Jordan Pickford’s crucial penalty save when he stopped James Maddison making it 3-1 just before the break.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s spot-kick opened the scoring, his first goal since October, before it was cancelled out by Caglar Soyuncu.

Jamie Vardy’s goal sent Leicester ahead and Maddison missed the chance to put the hosts in control, with Iwobi levelling soon after the re-start.

Everton also lost captain Seamus Coleman to a serious injury to further add to their problems.

Realistically, a point did little to aid either side’s Premier League survival hopes in the short-term, although it did lift Leicester out of the bottom three on goal difference. Everton remain second bottom, a point from safety, with four games left.

May 2 marks the seventh anniversary of the Foxes’ Premier League triumph in 2016.

Five days later, basking in the glory, Leicester battered a disinterested Everton 3-1 before lifting the title to complete their fairy tale.

Andrea Bocelli had already sung an emotive Nessun Dorma and the Toffees had given the hosts a guard of honour at an electric King Power Stadium.

Fast-forward and after two fifth-place finishes, FA Cup win, a Champions League quarter-final and a Europa Conference League semi-final, the class of 2023 faced a different game against the visitors.

Everton, protecting a top-flight status which stretched back to 1954, were winless in their previous six outings.

Sean Dyche’s impact, which earned two wins from his opening three games, has waned and just one further victory since has left the Toffees staring into the abyss.

If there were any nerves, the visitors hid them well and only Daniel Iversen’s fabulous save denied Iwobi an opener following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s driving run.

Maddison’s tame shot was gathered by Pickford in a rare Leicester attack before the Toffees grabbed a deserved 15th-minute lead.

It was a gift from the hosts, though, as Timothy Castagne’s moment of madness saw him unnecessarily barge Calvert-Lewin over in the box.

The striker kept his composure from the spot to score just his second goal of an injury-ravaged season.

Leicester boss Dean Smith had criticised the schedule which, starting against Everton, will see the Foxes play four Monday night games – after all their rivals.

But defeats for Leeds and Nottingham Forest had given them the platform to escape the bottom three, one they were in danger of losing until levelling out of the blue after 22 minutes.

Maddison’s free-kick was only half-cleared and Wout Faes nodded back Harvey Barnes’ cross for Soyuncu to turn in from 10 yards – his first goal for the Foxes since October 2021.

It changed the direction of the game as Leicester found their rhythm to go ahead after 33 minutes.

As much as the Foxes had found theirs, Everton had lost any composure and Iwobi’s poor pass was intercepted by Youri Tielemans for Maddison to find Vardy.

The striker dashed clear of Michael Keane to round Pickford and score. It is the first time in a year he has scored in successive games.

It sparked a madcap finish to the half and only Iversen’s fine stop from Dwight McNeil kept the hosts ahead.

Leicester survived again when Calvert-Lewin could only direct McNeil’s ball at Iversen from two yards – with Soyuncu’s touch on the cross denying the striker a simple tap-in.

Leicester immediately broke and Vardy bamboozled Keane only to chip onto the bar from eight yards.

The Toffees then lost their skipper when Coleman was carried off with a serious injury after Boubakary Soumare’s strong but innocuous challenge.

It almost got worse when Keane handled Barnes’ cross in the box but Pickford stood up to save Maddison’s poor penalty. The notes for Maddison’s penalty technique on the goalkeeper’s water bottle said ‘stay’.

It was a lifeline Everton grabbed as they levelled nine minutes after the re-start.

Iversen had already saved from Calvert-Lewin but he was powerless to stop Iwobi from drilling in after Faes had touched on McNeil’s delivery.

Parity restored, the game continued at a relentless pace with James Tarkowski blocking Vardy’s goal-bound header.

A frantic finish then saw Iversen turn Doucoure’s drive wide to preserve a result neither side really wanted.

Warren Gatland has revealed Wyn Jones’ shock omission from his preliminary World Cup training squad was down to Wales seeking greater front-row mobility.

Jones has gone from British and Irish Test Lion to Wales outcast in under two years, with Gatland suggesting that the Scarlets prop is a victim of the changing nature of international rugby.

The 31-year-old Jones – who started the Lions’ Test decider against South Africa in August 2021 – failed to make Gatland’s preliminary 54-man squad, with Cardiff’s uncapped Corey Domachowski among the preferred options at loosehead.

“There is no doubt he has had some injuries,” Wales head coach Gatland said of the 48-times capped Jones.

“Leading up to 2021 he was in outstanding form and playing well, we are just looking for some competition and a little bit more mobility in that position.

“We are looking for guys winning collisions and having that work-rate around the field we think is important at this level.

“There is no doubt the game has changed. The number of scrums is nowhere near as many as they used to be so you need to have a front five, particularly front rowers, that can scrummage but can get around the park.

“They have got to contribute a huge amount in terms of their mobility.

“That’s a big part we need to improve and was an area that when we reflected back and reviewed the Six Nations was probably our biggest work on in terms of moving forward.”

Seven-cap England tighthead prop Henry Thomas, who plays for France’s Top 14 champions Montpellier, was the surprise inclusion in a squad to be cut to 33 ahead of the World Cup in September.

Thomas, who has played for Sale and Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, was last capped by England in 2014 and has served World Rugby’s stand down period of three years to represent another country.

Fellow forwards Cory Hill, currently playing in Japan, and Will Rowlands were named in a squad featuring 10 uncapped players.

Rowlands is two appearances short of meeting Wales’ 25-cap criteria for those playing outside the country, something which does not affect Thomas as he is currently under contract at Montpellier.

The second-row forward is leaving Dragons for Paris-based Racing 92 next season, but Wales have three Tests before the World Cup in August. Rowlands’ registration will remain in Wales during the summer.

Exeter-bound centre Joe Hawkins, who has won five caps since making his debut in November, is ineligible, however, following his move from Ospreys.

Wales’ World Cup pool consists of Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal, and Gatland expects improved fitness levels after a disappointing Six Nations campaign that brought only one win against Italy.

He said: “We were reasonable but not anywhere near as good as we were in the past. That’s something we pride ourselves on in terms of playing for 80 minutes and not going away.

“You’ve seen that in the past and it’s something I’ll definitely be focusing on.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 1.

Football

Leeds players offered a grovelling apology.

Injured Leah Williamson kept herself busy.

Ted Lasso visited Selhurst Park.

James Milner reflected on Liverpool’s win over Spurs.

Charlie Austin reflected on an eventful year.

Gary Neville laid down the law.

Marc-Vivien Foe was remembered.

PSV were celebrating.

Snooker

Mark Selby compiled a 147 in the World Championship final.

Brendan Moore was loving refereeing his last match.

MMA

Conor McGregor was as modest as ever.

Formula One

Ayrton Senna was remembered on the anniversary of his death.

Sergio Perez was still celebrating Sunday’s win.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has promised seven-times capped England prop Henry Thomas will “bring something different” to their preliminary World Cup training squad.

Montpellier tighthead Thomas, who has played for Sale and Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, was capped by England between 2013 and 2014 and has served World Rugby’s stand down period of three years to represent another country.

Thomas, 31, was the major selection surprise in Gatland’s 54-man training squad, which will be cut to 33 for the World Cup in France this September.

Scarlets loose head prop Wyn Jones – a British and Irish Lion in 2021 – and Exeter-bound Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins were notable absentees.

“He was involved last year with Montpellier winning the league and we think his experience will bring something different,” Gatland said of the Kingston upon Thames-born Thomas, who qualifies through his Welsh father.

“Jonathan Humphries (forwards coach) reached out and had a conversation with him about being potentially available.

“He was at Sale a number of years ago, they saw him as the big thing and had a lot of time at Bath before moving onto Montpellier.

“You’ve got to be pretty tough to play up front in France given how big some of the forwards are there.

“You’ve got to bring a physical element and be strong at the set-piece. He has also got some good ball-carrying ability and is pretty mobile getting around the park.

“We think he will give us some competition in the front row. He’s been around, so he will hopefully come in and make an impression.”

Jones was omitted from the World Cup less than two years after playing for the Lions in South Africa, while the five-times capped Hawkins has fallen foul of the Welsh Rugby Union’s 25-cap policy following his move to Devon.

Players who play outside Wales must have 25 caps to represent their country, the number having been reduced from 60 in February.

Thomas is not caught under the rule as he has yet to play for Wales, but he would have to return to play in the country after his current Montpellier deal expires should he be capped in the meantime.

On Hawkins’ exclusion, Gatland said: “He’s made his decision to go to Exeter and I’ve spoken to him two or three times.

“We told him he was a big part of our future and definitely in the 23, either in the midfield or at 10.

“We are disappointed that he’s made that decision. He feels at the moment that going to play club rugby in England will be good for his development.

“He felt that he was potentially undervalued a little bit. He’s been offered a pretty significant deal and he’s made that decision to move on.

“I’ve got to respect that decision but, from a coaching perspective, we’re disappointed to lose someone of his potential and his talent at least for the next few years.”

Dragons forward Will Rowlands, who has agreed to join French club Racing 92 next season, has been included despite having only 23 caps to his name.

Rowlands’ registration will remain in Wales during the summer and Gatland’s side have three World Cup warm-up games in August that could take him to the threshold required.

“The PRB (Professional Rugby Board) have said that Will Rowlands is eligible,” Gatland said.

“He’s still with the Dragons until the end of the year. He might get a couple more games which would make him eligible from the point of the 25-cap rule.”

Ten uncapped players have been named in the squad, among them Cardiff prop Corey Domachowski, who is preferred to Jones.

Veterans include Alun Wyn Jones – who is set to play at his fifth World Cup – Taulupe Faletau, George North and Leigh Halfpenny, who has 99 caps and was released by the Scarlets at the end of the season.

Hooker Ken Owens led Wales in this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship, but Gatland has not named a World Cup captain at this stage.

Former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife Kealia, an ex-forward capped three times by the United States, have announced their investment in Burnley ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League.

JJ represented the Houston Texans and the Arizona Cardinals in a distinguished career in which he won three NFL defensive player of the year awards while Kealia represented Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars.

Kealia still holds the record for scoring the fastest goal of any debutant for the women’s national team, doing so after 48 seconds in October 2016 against Switzerland in a friendly in Minneapolis.

The couple, who have spent time at Burnley and within the local community recently, attended the club’s 3-0 win over Wigan in March and on Monday confirmed their formal involvement with the Clarets.

“When you invest in a club that’s been around since 1882, you must have great respect for its history and tradition,” the pair said in a statement.

“We understand that not only are we investing in the squad and manager, we’re investing in the town and its people.

“We take that responsibility very seriously and intend to work hard in earning their trust and support.

“We believe that Burnley is a special club with incredible supporters and we want to help continue to elevate its global profile on its return to the Premier League.”

Burnley have rubberstamped an immediate return to the English top-flight after last season’s relegation by wrapping up the Sky Bet Championship title.

“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome JJ and Kealia into the Clarets family,” Burnley chairman Alan Pace said.

“Both JJ and Kealia bring with them an incredible amount of top-level sporting pedigree and success, as well as ideas and connections that will be invaluable in helping us to continue telling the Clarets story to an international audience.”

Kealia is also looking at helping Burnley’s women’s side, who sit in the third-tier FA Women’s National League North division and had their first ever outing at Turf Moor on Sunday.

“In the US, I’ve seen the NWSL grow into something really incredible, and we’d love to be a part of growing the women’s team here and be a part of their journey,” Kealia added.

Rangers will finish the season trophy-less following Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic at Hampden Park.

The Light Blues fans were again left frustrated after coming up short against their Old Firm rivals and Gers boss Michael Beale admitted there will be “the biggest rebuild this club has seen in a number of years”.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the out-of-contract players who could move on.

Alfredo Morelos
Beale has intimated that the Colombia striker will not be at Ibrox next season and, after another lacklustre display against Celtic, few Gers fans would complain. The 26-year-old, who signed from HJK in 2017, was once considered to be a big-money asset but the Ibrox club will see him will walk away as a free agent.

Allan McGregor
The 41-year-old former Scotland international has undoubtedly been of the best keepers in Rangers’ history. However, Beale has hinted that his second spell at the Govan club is at an end. Robby McCrorie will get a chance to show his worth before the end of the season but Rangers may yet have to add a first-choice goalkeeper to their summer shopping list.

Ryan Kent
When the 26-year-old signed from Liverpool in 2009 for a reported initial fee of £6.5million following a loan spell, it was regarded as a shrewd investment financially as well as in terms of improving the team. Kent became a fans’ favourite but his star has waned. Replaced at half-time at Hampden on Sunday after offering next to nothing, he has suffered a backlash of criticism from supporters who have run out of patience. It remains to be seen if Beale is of the same mind.

Ryan Jack
Beale said in March: “Ryan is certainly a player I want to work with moving forward here at the club.” But after Sunday’s defeat he said: “If you don’t hear anything and contracts are running out, it probably gives you a good indication there’s change in the air.” Jack is out again through injury. A talented player when fit but the former QPR boss may consider the notion that the best ability is availability.

Filip Helander
The luckless 30-year-old defender, who joined from Bologna in 2019, has been out for over a year with a foot injury which is still to be sorted. It is highly unlikely that Beale will offer him an extension to his contract, which ends this summer.

Scott Arfield
The popular 34-year-old midfielder has recently been consigned to mainly cameo appearances and may have run out of time as a Rangers player. Beale said last month that everyone who played in the 5-2 win over St Mirren – “aside from maybe Allan (McGregor) and Alfredo (Morelos)” – would be a Rangers player next season. Arfield came on as substitute.

Steven Davis
The hugely respected 38-year-old midfielder has not played since December 15 due to a knee injury and is likely to move on.

Malik Tillman
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has had a fruitful spell at Ibrox on loan from Bayern Munich, albeit the critics will say he has not produced against Celtic. Rangers have first option on the United States international but, at a reported fee of £5m, is it the best use of Beale’s limited budget? One of the big calls the Light Blues boss will have to make.

Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira has joined skipper Tim Ream in being ruled out for the rest of the season.

Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to Manchester City saw Ream forced off in the first half, with the defender having broken his arm, and Pereira then departed the field on a stretcher after the interval following a coming-together with Manuel Akanji.

Cottagers boss Marco Silva said post-match that Ream “is probably not playing any more” for the remainder of the campaign – something he confirmed at a press conference on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Liverpool, while also revealing the same applied to Pereira.

Silva said: “Tim Ream has broken his arm and will be out until the end of the season, and the situation of Andreas Pereira in terms of this season will be the same, he will play no more.

“We are waiting for more updates from the examinations, an MRI as well, and when we are going to be more sure about everything we are going to give more feedback, but both are not going to play more this season.”

Silva, who described the pair as “two big misses for us”, added: “When one player has broken his arm and one has a serious injury in his ankle, it’s not really a normal scenario, a normal thing. It was really an unlucky afternoon for us when these type of things happen.

“But we have to be ready, now is the moment for us to recover them really well, as fast as we can, and support them in everything we can, because they have been so, so important players for us this season.”

Fulham, whose top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic’s eight-match suspension still has two more games to go, have also had Willian absent for their last two outings.

The winger was a late withdrawal from the starting line-up ahead of the 1-0 loss at Aston Villa last Tuesday due to a hamstring issue.

Regarding that injury, Silva said: “Not really serious. We took a decision more as a precaution, to be honest. It was something that came from the last minutes of the Leeds match (the 2-1 win three days earlier). He felt it again during the warm-up and we decided not to take the risk.

“Of course there was a short time between the games, Villa and City. We took care of him, and we made some individual work to see if he would be ready or not.

“The day before the match we tried, he wasn’t feeling at the best level, not really confident, and we decided we wouldn’t start with him.

“Let’s see – we have another session tomorrow and we are going to assess him and after will decide. Probably I believe if not for tomorrow then he will be ready for the next match, against Leicester (at home next Monday).”

Fulham are currently 10th in the Premier League with five more games remaining, while Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who extended their winning run to four matches with Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Tottenham, are fifth.

Rotherham manager Matt Taylor said securing Championship survival was no more than his team deserved and was made all the “sweeter” by their recent history in the division.

The Millers ensured they cannot be caught by Reading in the third and final relegation spot after beating promotion-chasing Middlesbrough 1-0 at New York Stadium.

Boro were reduced to 10 men just before the break when Anfernee Dijksteel was sent off and Rotherham took advantage at the start of the second half when Hakeem Odoffin fired home the only goal of the game.

The victory meant Rotherham staved off what could have been a fourth successive relegation from the second tier and ends a yo-yoing six-year period for the club between the Championship and League One.

A delighted Taylor, whose side go to rock-bottom Wigan in their final game, said: “What has been before for this club makes this moment sweeter. It’s fully deserved. I don’t know how much more this league can throw at us.

“There is one thing running through this club and that is spirit.

“Even had it gone down to the final game of the season I would have been confident. We are going to be better equipped next season. It’s a big achievement for the club.”

The two key moments of the match came either side of half-time, first with Boro losing Dijksteel in first-half stoppage time when the defender clumsily brought down Jordan Hugill on his route to goal and was given a straight red card.

Then, three minutes after the interval, Rotherham went ahead when Odoffin smashed a low shot beyond Zach Steffen from the edge of the box.

That proved to be the winning goal, although there were some nervy moments for the Millers, with Tommy Smith lashing over at the back post and Viktor Johansson pulling off a despairing save from a deflected effort by Jamie Lindsay.

Taylor said of the two main incidents: “Whether it was a sending-off not, I don’t know, but it felt it at the time.

“It was one moment of quality from Hakeem and time stood still before it hit the back of the net.

“Forty-nine points is a good tally with what has been thrown at us. I won’t be seeing the players for the next couple of days.”

Middlesbrough had already secured a play-off place, but defeat in South Yorkshire means they can no longer catch Luton in third and must settle for fourth spot.

Head coach Michael Carrick said: “I have mixed feelings. I am disappointed that we lost the game because that is definitely not what we came here to do. There are things to learn from it.

“I thought the first half for large parts suited them and not us. It was a bit stop-start and set-plays. There was not a lot of football played.

“The sending-off changes the game. It was a little bit harder to create that chance but I thought the boys did a lot of good things.

“I thought the red card was soft. Darragh (Lenihan) was covering him. It caught me by surprise when he got the red card out.

“If we had got that early goal it would changed the course of the game.”

Luca Brecel rendered Mark Selby’s maximum a distant memory as he fired four centuries to fashion a 15-10 lead after a high-quality penultimate session of their World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible.

Looking utterly undaunted by the biggest occasion of his career, the 28-year-old Belgian moved just three frames away from becoming the first winner of the title from mainland Europe, and the first overseas winner since Neil Robertson in 2010.

Selby had entered the session on a high after Sunday evening’s stunning 147 but it was Brecel who rose to the occasion, blasting three of those hundred breaks in the first four frames as he turned his 9-8 overnight lead into a 13-8 advantage.

The four-time champion looked distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark stirring fightbacks.

Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, despite some sterling resistance from Brecel who reclaimed the majority of a 68-point deficit.

Selby also took what felt like a pivotal 23rd frame, as he clawed back from 41 points behind and got the better of a lengthy safety battle on the last red to reduce the deficit once again to 13-10.

But if there ever was a sign that Brecel was unfazed it came in the next frame when the Belgian built on a brilliant opening red to serve up his fourth century of the session, a nerveless 119, to restore his four-frame advantage.

For all his centuries, it was arguably Brecel’s brilliant clearance to pink in the final frame of the session that was most impressive, as he wiped out Selby’s 40-point lead to move three frames away from claiming his maiden crown.

Wales have omitted Joe Hawkins from their preliminary World Cup training squad.

Ospreys centre Hawkins has been capped five times since making his international debut last November, but doubts were cast over the 20-year-old’s eligibility following his decision to join Exeter next season.

Hawkins falls short of the 25-cap clause for players plying their trade outside Wales, and the Welsh Rugby Union had to decide whether he signed a contract with Exeter prior to making his debut.

If he had done, Hawkins would still be eligible for international rugby because he was an uncapped player.

Forward Will Rowlands has been named in a 54-player strong training squad for this autumn’s event in France.

Rowlands, who will leave the Dragons for Paris-based Racing 92 in December, has won 23 caps and could reach the qualifying mark in pre-World Cup friendlies against England and South Africa.

There was no room for Scarlets prop Wyn Jones, who was part of the British and Irish Lions squad in 2021, while Ospreys centre Owen Watkin also misses out.

Ten uncapped players have been named in the squad, including Montpellier prop Henry Thomas who won seven caps for England, with his last appearance coming in 2014.

Cory Hill has also been called up following the recent change in the selection criteria on exiled players.

The 31-year-old – who can play at lock or blindside – earned his last Wales cap in 2021 and currently plies his trade for the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan.

Leigh Halfpenny, who is due to leave Scarlets at the end of the season, is named in the squad alongside Gareth Anscombe, who missed the Six Nations through injury.

Anscombe faces competition at outside-half from Dan Biggar and Owen Williams, while Sam Costelow has also been named.

Wales will start their World Cup campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10, with their pool also consisting of Australia, Georgia and Portugal.

Wales’ preliminary training squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup

Forwards: Rhys Carre, Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Eliott Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Ken Owens, Keiron Assiratti, Tomas Francis, Will Davies-King, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Cory Hill, Dafydd Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, Taulupe Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Josh Macleod, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright.

Backs: Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, George North, Joe Roberts, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Keiran Williams, Josh Adams, Alex Cuthbert, Rio Dyer, Cai Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Liam Williams.