Wales fans fearing a poor Six Nations campaign is on the horizon may be pleased to hear interim coach, Rob Howley, has brought five uncapped players into his squad in order to give the team a much-needed boost.

Howley announced his 35-man squad on Tuesday, which is currently suffering a real injury crisis, naming five uncapped men for the 2013 Six Nations.

Andrew Coombs (Dragons) and James King from Ospreys have both been included for the first time, while Blues back-rowers, Andries Pretorius and Josh Navidi, also get a call-up, alongside Ospreys wing, Eli Walker.

The move is somewhat forced, for the Red Dragon have four front-line locks out injured and unable to play over the Championship. Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, and Dan Lydiate are all out with respective hurts, meaning Howley has had to restructure his squad ahead of the first match, which kicks off against Ireland on 2 February.

Wales head into the 2013 Six Nations as defending champions, despite unnerving form in their autumn internationals that saw them fall to four successive defeats. Add this to the three test losses against Australia in the summer and you begin to understand why rugby union betting pundits have given the side little chance of defending their crown this year.

Confidence must be low in the camp and therefore it is the perfect time to blood some new players into the international rugby scene. These five may not earn a starting place every game but there will be leeway in Howley’s plans to give them a chance, especially at the Millennium Stadium.

With the Six Nations odds expecting England and France to challenge for the Grand Slam this spring, Wales will have to make do with battling Ireland for third place – a disappointing yet realistic expectation considering the past year.