Age-grade international rugby keeps on coming thick and fast with Wales Under-19 taking on Ireland at Aberavon’s Talbot Athletic Ground on Sunday (KO 1pm) - and Dragons RFC back row Ryan Jones will captain the side.
Wales U20 head coach Richard Whiffin is leading the coaching team, and he will have no fewer than seven players who appeared in the recent U20 Six Nations in his squad for this weekend’s game against the Irish and next week’s assignment against Italy at The Wern, Merthyr.
Forwards Jac Pritchard, Luke Evans, Tom Cottle, Ryan Jones and Caio James all got game time with the U20s, as did back division players Sion Davies and Jack Woods. Osian Darwin-Lewis and Lewis Edwards were also in the squad.
“These two games at U19 level are an opportunity for us to reach out to more players in the pathway. There are a number of players who haven’t been involved before with the U18s and so this is a chance for them to wear the Welsh shirt,” said Whiffin.
“They aren’t capped matches as such, but this is a great chance for players to put up their hands for selection for this summer’s World Rugby Junior Championship and to prepare for next years’ competitions.
“They also allow us to give more game time from the start for those players who were in the U20 squad and didn’t get as many minutes as they would have liked. Now they get the chance to show us what they can do and to lead some of the other players.
“The new boys will be able to learn how we train and the standards we expect. The fact the U20s coaching group is involved as well or the U19s is also good for continuity.
“Defence coach Scott Sneddon isn’t available due to his commitments at the Scarlets, so Gareth Williams, a former Wales U20 head coach and member of the Wales senior coaching team, has come in to help.
“It is going to be an exciting couple of weeks for us seeing players we haven’t seen before and both games are going to present this group with some real challenges.”
Wales beat both Ireland and Italy at U20 level this season, as well as champions England in an epic battle at Cardiff Arms Park, while Wales U18 warmed-up for this month’s U18 Six Nations Festival in France with a win over Scotland and a 15-7 defeat to Italy in a rain-soaked L’Aquila last weekend.
Llandovery College captain Gryff Watkins, who led his side to victory in the WSCU18 Rugby final against Coleg y Cymoedd earlier in the season, gets his first chance to wear an international shirt, while Coleg Sir Gar skipper Osian Williams is one of four Scarlets players in the pack.
Prop Cam Tyler-Growcott has already made 11 appearances for Cardiff RFC in the old Indigo Premiership and Super Rygbi Cymru, while replacement centre Ioan Penry has also appeared in SRC this season. Ospreys outside half Owen Erasmus played with Steff Emanuel at Millfield School and in the Bath side that won the Premiership U18 title last year.
Tight head prop Codi Purnell, another Millfield product, was in the Bath side in the final this year, while replacement hooker James Talamai ws the vice-captain of the Harrow School team that won the National Schools U18 title at Twickenham fort the second year in a row. He was also in the Saracens U18 squad.
Wales U19: Lewis Edwards (Ospreys); Jack Woods (Bath), Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff), Gryff Watkins (Scarlets), Owen Erasmus (Ospreys), Sion Jones (Scarlets); Sion Davies (Cardiff); Cam Tyler-Growcott (Cardiff), Lewis Jones (Scarlets), Jac Pritchard (Scarlets), Luke Evans (Exeter), Tom Cottle (RGC), Osian Williams (Scarlets), Ryan Jones (Dragons, captain), Keanu Evans (Scarlets)
Reps: James Talamai (Saracens), Tom Phillips (Scarlets), Codi Purnell (Bath), Oscar Rees (Gloucester), Jack Gilbert (Gloucester), Caio James (Gloucester), Ellis Lewis (Neath), Steff Jac Jones (Scarlets), Ioan Penry (Cardiff), Noah Mason (Ospreys)
