Wales centre Hawkins determined to make World Cup in Australia

Wales centre Joe Hawkins says missing the previous tournament has made him more determined to make the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 12 months, and he has returned to Wales' setup after signing for Scarlets.

A former Wales Under-20s international, Hawkins moved from Ospreys to Exeter in 2023 and was ruled ineligible for Wales by the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) under the 25-cap rule, which makes players with fewer than 25 caps unavailable if they are not with a Welsh club; that restriction sidelined him for the 2023 World Cup in France. "I have no regrets," Hawkins said. "It would have been nice to have a World Cup under my belt already, but that just makes me even more excited for potentially what's ahead over the next year. I loved my couple of years in Exeter with the life experience and playing in the Prem, where you can see a lot of the boys are thriving in now."

Hawkins said a World Cup year affects club intensity, with selection for the tournament influencing players' performances. "It's always in the back of your mind, knowing you're going into a World Cup year," he said. "You can probably see from performances from other boys in all positions in the squads that in a World Cup year, the intensity probably rises at the clubs. Boys are playing for positions and knowing that's the carrot at the end of the year. But if you're not taking care of the here and now you're not going to get that far."

Hawkins, 24, and Scarlets team-mate Eddie James have emerged as Wales' preferred centre pairing over the past 12 months, with Hawkins having played 13 internationals for Wales. Since Steve Tandy took charge in September 2025 he has named five different starting midfield partnerships across 13 games; Hawkins and James have started together seven times, including in Wales' uncapped victory over the Barbarians. Tandy reverted to Ben Thomas and Max Llewellyn for the 43-0 defeat by South Africa in July, but the Scarlets pair have otherwise been the preferred option.

"Eddie and I have a good relationship on and off the field," Hawkins said. "That is starting to grow on the pitch with the more opportunities we get together." The composition of Wales' midfield has been debated, with Tandy and attack coach Matt Sherratt favouring a creative, ball-playing inside centre such as Hawkins or Thomas while retaining James as the physical presence at outside centre; Tandy has said he sees the Carmarthen-born 24-year-old's long-term future as a Test 13. Many observers believe James should be considered as a 12 but Wales are determined to keep their creative options open.

With Ben Thomas sidelined by a calf injury, Hawkins appears to be competing for the Wales 12 shirt with uncapped Dragons centre Aneurin Owen, while Max Llewellyn has also featured at inside centre for Gloucester this season. On his playing style Hawkins said: "The ball-playing stuff is stuff I enjoy doing but you still need to go forward as well and I feel like I can also produce that side of it. Matt [Sherratt] likes you always in and around that first receiver position so you are always in those decision-making roles. You've got to be comfortable on the ball and making decisions at high speed. But there's not always going to be opportunities to ball play, so you've got to try and have a bit of a rounded game."

Hawkins has also been used as an outside-half by Scarlets but prefers the 12 role. "It gives me a lot more respect for the 10s, having been in there, with all the work they do," he added. "It probably helps me when I play centre from being a 10, I know what they need from me a little bit more, so the information and communication I'm feeding helps the whole team."

Wales begin a minimum 12-match schedule ahead of the World Cup with their Nations Championship opener against Japan in Cardiff next Saturday.