TIGHTHEAD Leon Brown is poised to win his first Wales cap against Australia less than a year after he made his Dragons debut.

The 21-year-old from Maesglas has been named on the bench by Warren Gatland for Saturday’s clash with the Wallabies at Principality Stadium along with his regional teammates Cory Hill and Hallam Amos.

Brown will back up Tomas Francis after making a superb start to the season at Rodney Parade, starting seven games after influential South African Brok Harris moved left to loosehead.

A powerful ball carrier with a good work ethic around the park, the prop will be asked to add energy from the bench in the autumn opener.

Brown made his regional debut against Leicester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup on November 12 last year and was invited to train with the Wales squad for their 2016 autumn series along with his Dragons teammate Harri Keddie, impressing the management with his dynamism.

The former Wales Under-20s international’s season was ended in January by an ankle injury suffered on club duty with Cross Keys but he started the current campaign with a bang to earn a first international call-up ahead of Cardiff Blues’ bright prospect Dillon Lewis.

Brown will now take a place on the home bench for the Australia clash along with lock Hill, set for a seventh cap, and wing Amos, who hasn’t played on the Test scene since suffering a shoulder injury against the Wallabies last year.

As expected scrum-half Rhys Webb and flanker Justin Tipuric miss out through injury with Gareth Davies and Josh Navidi in the XV.

Owen Williams is brought in as a midfield playmaker and Brynmawr's Sam Cross, who only made his regional debut for the Ospreys last month, is named among the replacements.

WALES TEAM TO PLAY AUSTRALIA (Saturday November 11, KO 5.15pm)
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (71 Caps)
14. Liam Williams (Saracens) (43 Caps)
13. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (64 Caps)
12. Owen Williams (Gloucester) (1 Cap)
11. Steff Evans (Scarlets) (2 Caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Ospreys) (56 Caps)
9. Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
1. Rob Evans (Scarlets) (17 Caps)
2. Ken Owens (Scarlets) (50 Caps)
3. Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (23 Caps)
4. Jake Ball (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (CAPT) (Ospreys) (110 Caps)
6. Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) (10 Caps)
7. Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues) (3 Caps)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (66 Caps)
 
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues) (4 Caps)
17. Nicky Smith (Ospreys) (14 Caps)
18. Leon Brown (Dragons) (*UNCAPPED)
19. Cory Hill (Dragons) (6 Caps)
20. Sam Cross (Ospreys) (*UNCAPPED)
21. Aled Davies (Scarlets) (2 Caps)
22. Owen Watkin (Ospreys) (*UNCAPPED)
23. Hallam Amos (Dragons) (11 Caps)