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| - George North will start at centre when Wales open their Six Nations campaign against Ireland in Cardiff on Sunday. The Ospreys wing, who will be winning his 99th cap, partners Johnny Williams in a Wales midfield missing Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies. Meanwhile, Wales coach Wayne Pivac has recalled 33-year-old Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate for his first Test since November 2018. Hallam Amos returns to the wing, with captain Alun Wyn Jones playing his first game since suffering a knee injury nine weeks ago. North retains the centre role he filled in Wales' last match against Italy on December 5, when Williams was injured and Davies started alongside him. With both Liam Williams and Josh Adams suspended, Gloucester's Louis Rees-Zammit comes in on the wing Williams was sent off during the Scarlets' PRO14 defeat by the Cardiff Blues last month, while Adams is serving a two-match ban imposed by the Welsh Rugby Union after breaching coronavirus protocols by attending a family gathering. Two experienced players in 77-times capped hooker Ken Owens and scrum-half Tomos Williams return after missing Wales' six autumn Tests due to shoulder injuries. Pivac guided Wales to just three wins -- against Italy twice, and Georgia -- from 10 starts last year, with the team finishing a lowly fifth in the Six Nations under the New Zealander. Wales have also lost their last four Tests against Ireland, although the Irish have not won a Six Nations match on Welsh soil since 2013. "We made strides forward through the autumn, and we are looking to take that into Sunday and into this tournament," Pivac said in a Welsh Rugby Union statement after the team was announced Friday. "The Six Nations is a fantastic tournament and is important for us rugby-wise, but it is important for so much more this year. "It is important for communities across the country, and we want to play our part and give everyone something to look forward to and to get excited about on the weekend." Wales (15-1) Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Johnny Williams, Hallam Amos; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Dan Lydiate; Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Adam Beard; Tomas Francis, Ken Owens, Wyn Jones Replacements: Elliot Dee, Rhodri Jones, Leon Brown, Will Rowlands, Josh Navidi, Gareth Davies, Callum Sheedy, Nick Tompkins Coach: Wayne Pivac (NZL) jdg/bsp
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