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Rugby legend Jamie Roberts has chosen his starting Wales XV for the upcoming autumn internationals. Steve Tandy's team will face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in November as the collective attempt to get a brand new era off to a good start. A hugely successful player in Wales' golden generation, Roberts will be working for TNT Sports as a pundit and is on our screens during the autumn Tests. He only retired from rugby three years ago and since he has ventured into punditry it has not been a prosperous time for Welsh rugby. However, Roberts is full of optimism ahead of the four end-of-year Tests. Tandy named his 39-player squad last Tuesday, with five uncapped players included in his collective. As well as the new faces, there were some returning ones, too. Louis Rees-Zammit is back in the selection mix for the first time in two years and Cardiff fly-half Callum Sheedy is back on the Test scene. Rhys Carre has also been selected in the squad despite not having 25 caps and playing his rugby outside of Wales. "I was really excited when I saw the squad," said Roberts to WalesOnline. "Probably the most excited I've been in a year actually. I always get really interested by squads the autumn after a Lions tour because everything in the lead-up to the Lions, in these World Cup cycles, everything in the lead-up to Lions is - who's going to play for the Lions?! Who's going to make the squad?! - Now that's gone, there's a clear path now towards Rugby World Cup 2027. "I think for coaches, they're looking at their players going, right, who is going to be able to peak for me in 2027? And so it's been interesting looking across the whole squad, all the squads of the home unions and there might be a couple of players who might not peak in two years and equally, who are the rough diamonds we can give 15 to 20 caps to ahead of a Rugby World Cup? So I look at that Wales team and I think it's a fabulous squad. "I think it's a really, really well-balanced age profile, a lot of experience, with some good youngsters, but also a couple of absolute rockets coming back in and make me hugely excited. If I was in the Wales squad now - new coaching team, they got the monkey off the back in Japan in the summer - you can kind of put the past to bed. "Albeit those players need to learn from that experience and lean on it. I guess they've learned how not to do things the last couple of years as well, so that's important in life, isn't it? When you do go through losing patches, you do learn from it. "But equally, I'd be super excited coming in in November and, you know, in Steve, they've got a real, very passionate Welshman. A warrior on the field, who's honed his craft as a coach around the world and has come back to Wales. "With his coaching group as well. I'm really, really excited to see the new DNA of this new Wales, because it is a new Wales, we're under a new coaching group after being through a difficult period and I hope that Japan tour in the summer - monkey off the back, line in the sand - we go again, we've got a clear lead-in to Rugby World Cup now. Super excited to see how the lads go in November." Roberts was then asked to pick his starting XV to face Argentina in the first game. Out of the team he named, he revealed that he was most excited by the back three, which will be Wales' "point of difference". "The back three," said Roberts. "Especially the way Matt is going to want this side to attack, he's trying to get the ball in their hands as much as possible because they're dangerous. They're lethal in attack. Super amounts of pace." He added that while he hasn't selected Rees-Zammit for the first Test match back, he believes he will play against Japan. The legendary centre also had a lot of good things to say about Rhys Carre, who he thinks will make an impact off the bench. Jamie Roberts' XV to face Argentina: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Josh Adams; Jarrod Evans, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright. Jamie Roberts will be working for TNT Sports during the Quilter Nations Series. Watch every match of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 1-29 November.
