Congratulations to the Dragons U20s who’ve made it into the new Wales U20 training squad.
They include: Dragons Senior player Jason Tovey, Dragons Academy players Ieuan Coombs (Ebbw Vale), Dai Langdon (Ebbw Vale), James Thomas (Ebbw Vale), Rhys Jenkins (Ebbw Vale), Aaron Coundley (Ebbw Vale), Dan Watchurst (Bedwas), Adam Hughes (Bedwas), Stewart Maguire (Pontypool), Matthew Pewtner (Cross Keys), Ashley Sweet (Cross Keys), Craig Atwell (Newbridge) and club players Craig Fillier (Brynmawr), Morgan Allan (Bedwas), Lee Bray (Newbridge) and Sam Pailor (Pontypool).Wales U20 head coach Phil Davies has put together a 45-man training squad for the 2008/09 season. Its members will be included in regional and national training sessions over the next month before the group is cut to 26 with eight reserves in time for the U20 Six Nations.
Davies and his U20 team management have carried out squad sessions with each regional squad this season and these sessions will continue. Davies said: “We entered into the selection process with open minds and believe we’ve left no stone unturned. The players have responded excellently at our regional sessions and those sessions have enabled us to get across some of our key messages which will hopefully help when it comes to stepping up to the international environment and competition."
Following the second squad session at Cross Keys last night Davies also presented the squad and coaches with their 2008 Regional Championship Winners medals commenting “the Dragons were the most effective and best prepared team in the competition, which is represented in the fact that Dragons players make up 40% of the initial training squad”