Wales have won their last six Tests, including the five that secured an historic Grand Slam in this years Six Nations Championship - Wales first for 27 years.

But Ruddock is without many of the team that beat Ireland on that memorable day in Cardiff three months ago  Brent Cockbain, Adam Jones, Ryan Jones, Kevin Morgan and tour captain Mark Taylor being the only survivors.

Nevertheless he remains confident his younger players will help Wales build up a head of steam before the autumn internationals.

Despite losing 10 players to the Lions and others to injury, we have picked a strong, experienced side with just one new cap, Matthew Rees, said Ruddock.

It is important we have a strong backbone to the side in order to build on our recent performances and we will look to gain a balance in the team during the tour.

Llanelli Scarlets hooker Rees, 24, is the only new name in the team but Ruddock has a further four uncapped players on the bench, including 23-year-old prop Ben Broster of Saracens.

In contrast, Taylor will become the 15th player in Welsh rugby history to win 50 caps for his country when he leads the team out at Rentshler Field.

We will be trying out a lot of new combinations and seeing how certain players react to the Test environment, said Ruddock.

That means every player now has a huge chance to impress ahead of what is going to be a very important season for Wales when we defend our Six Nations title.