It’s going to be one busy weekend in Gwent rugby.
It all begins with Wales Under 20s taking on a Welsh Academies XV at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday night where several future Dragons RFC teammates will be going head-to-head.
That game is followed by a packed Sunday as Dragons’ senior side host Section Paloise at Rodney Parade in Europe while Gwalia Lightning and Dragons U18s play at Ystrad Mynach’s Centre of Sporting Excellence.
Friday night’s game is part of Wales U20s continued preparations for the upcoming Six Nations which begins on the first of February in France. The game comes as Super Rygbi Cymru takes a break giving us some mouthwatering Gwent battles.
With 12 players involved across the two sides, eyes are immediately drawn to the battle of the Gwent eights, where Evan Minto, who made his senior Dragons debut against Newcastle last month, locks horns with Ebbw Vale’s Owen Conquer.
Both players were on the same team when Dragons A took on a Scarlets development side in November. Since then, Dragons Academy player Conquer has been sidelined with illness and he will be hoping to return with a bang on Friday night.
Elsewhere, Harry Rees-Weldon and Walker Price lock renew acquaintances on the wing with both Dragons Academy players having locked horns, during the recent double-header between Ebbw Vale and Pontypool.
Price shone in last year’s U20s Six Nations, and provides a stern test for Rees-Weldon who scored during Wales U20s win at home to Scotland in December.
Other Dragons academy players in the starting line-ups are scrum-half Logan Franklin for U20s and prop Morgan Williams plus hooker Tomoya Nieuwendijk-Adachi for the Welsh Academies who are joined by Newport’s Nathan Evans in an all-Gwent front row.
Williams may come face-to-face with Academy tight-head Owain James who was another who represented Dragons A last Autumn and starts on the bench for the U20s.
Elsewhere, Harri Ford will look to pull rabbit’s and all sorts of other items from his box of tricks once he enters the fray for U20s as will fly-half or full-back Sam Potter for the Academies.
Sam Scarfe, who made his second senior Dragons appearance against Montpellier in December, will bring his usual energy onto the field from the bench as will backrower Kobi Rees with the 19-year-old looking to showcase his pilfering skills for the Academies side.
Wales U20s: Scott Delnevo; Harry Rees-Weldon (Dragons), Elijah Evans, Steff Emanuel, Aidan Boshoff; Harri Wilde, Logan Franklin (Dragons); Ioan Emanuel, Saul Hurley, Jac Pritchard, Kenzie Jenkins, Dan Gemine, Arthur Moore, Harry Beddall (captain), Evan Minto (Dragons).
Replacements: Evan Wood, Harrison Bellamy, Owain James (Dragons), Dylan Alford, Deian Gwynne, Caio James, Sion Davies, Harri Ford (Dragons), Osian Darwin Lewis, Iori Badham.
Welsh Academies U23 XV: Jac Davies; Josh Carrington, Gabe McDonald. Fraser Jones, Walker Price (Dragons); Josh Phillips, Rhordi Lewis (captain); Morgan Williams (Dragons), Tomoya Nieuwendijk-Adachi (Dragons), Nathan Evans (Newport), Evan Hill, Evan Rees, Lucas de la Rua, Owen Conquer (Dragons).
Replacements: Sam Scarfe (Dragons), Freddie Chapman, Joe Cowell, Ethan Phillips, Kobi Rees (Dragons), Luca Settaro, Sam Potter (Dragons), Kodi Stone, Charlie Probert.
