The Scarlets centre will partner Owen Watkin in the Welsh midfield as Warren Gatland and his coaching team continue to give youth its chance.
They replace the more established pairing of George North and Nick Tompkins in what defence coach Mike Forshaw described as a ‘rotation’ in selection.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a look at Joe Roberts, who was unlucky not to go to the World Cup. We paired him with Owen Watkin has got 37 caps,” said Forshaw.
“We just felt if we were going to have a look, this was the game to do it. We have two home games and we felt if we were going to do it, we were going to do it this weekend.
“Nick and George aren’t injured. They have been spoken to and they firmly believe in what we are doing – they haven’t been dropped.
George North and Nick Tompkins
“Joe is a really promising, young No 13 going forward and Owen has a lot of experience. There is always a risk in every selection but we have to be confident in the messages we are giving and the coaching we are doing.
“Those guys will be there to prove a point I am sure and try and stay in the team the following week. Nick and George were disappointed, but I’d be disappointed if they weren’t disappointed.
“Selection day is always tough because you want to be in the team, you want to play for Wales, you want to drive into the stadium at the weekend.
“But George has been around a long time, and Nick is an established Saracens player with a lot of experience. They’ve been great in training and they’ll fully support the two boys who have come in.”
Wales will be chasing their first win of the championship on Sunday – and a first home Six Nations win since Scotland in 2022. It will be one of the least experienced sides to play under Gatland, but the whole point is to build experience and strength in depth at the highest level.
“I get from the fans, proud Welsh people, that they want to see the team win. So do I as a coach and we’re doing our best on the field,” said Forshaw.
“It’s just finding out what the next World Cup cycle is going to look like in material and personnel. At the end of this tournament we’ll have a good idea who’s going to Australia and then going into the Autumn Series.
“It’s Snakes and Ladders. We don’t want to keep going down them, we want to be going up them. That’s the mentality from everyone.
“We don’t want to sacrifice any games. I expect every game I coach in to go out there and win – I expect the boys to be at their best.
“Sometimes you have to appreciate that some teams are further down the track. But this team is capable of winning two games, I’m pretty sure of that, and they believe that and we’ll drive that.”
