Wales announce strongest squad in years as young talent returns for huge summer
Wales announce strongest squad in years as young talent returns for huge summer
Wales U20s head out to Italy this summer for the World Championships
Wales U20s head coach Richard Whiffin (left) with outside-half Harri Wilde
(Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency )
Richard Whiffin has named the strongest Wales U20s squad for years to compete in this summer's World Rugby U20s Championship.
Wales have been drawn in a tough pool alongside Argentina U20s, France U20s and Spain U20s but there is every reason to believe they can be very competitive in Italy this summer. Whiffin's side impressed during the U20s Six Nations with victories over Italy, Ireland and world champions England.
Outstanding openside flanker Harry Beddall retains the captaincy, while they have also been boosted by the return of powerful Dragons second-row Nick Thomas who missed most of the Six Nations through injury.
There are 10 players based outside of Wales in the squad, including Exeter Chiefs lock Luke Evans who recently changed his allegiance from England to the men in red. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The likes of Cardiff wing Tom Bowen, Bristol Bears speedster Aidan Boshoff, centre Steffan Emanuel, props Ioan Emanuel and Sam Scott, along with Scarlets hooker Harry Thomas, are just a few players to watch out for.
Wales warmed up for the tournament with a defeat to England at Pontypool Park and a comfortable victory over Italy at the Arms Park.
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'I think it is a very balanced squad with some quality experience returning from last year and some added emphasis from guys who have performed well during the Six Nations,' said Whiffin. 'We've got a pack that we feel can really deliver at the World Cup and look to be dominant at both the scrum and line-out and as a team we fully understand how we want to play.
"We've got some fantastic workrate in our outside backs that will not only get the ball back for us but be a real threat when we've got the ball. 'I think we've seen over the course of the Six Nations and these warm-up games we've got a set of backs that will put us in the right areas of the field and be smart with how we want to play.'
Whiffin used more than 40 players in the two warm-up games against world champions England and Italy before finalising his squad for the global tournament where his side start their Pool B fixtures against Argentina before facing France and Spain.
'Those games allowed us to challenge ourselves in different areas,' explained Whiffin. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
"The England game at Pontypool was always going to be tough on the back of what was a really tough training week and then to challenge ourselves against the world champs was brilliant.
'I thought it cemented a few thoughts in our heads - 14-14 at 60 minutes I thought we had competed well and then we had a very polished performance against Italy - the fact we managed to get 40-plus players game-time over those two games gave the coaches and myself the ammunition we needed to pick the squad.
'We're excited about the championship but we still have a week's training ahead of us before we get on the plane for Italy but we've done the hard work in terms of whittling down what was a really strong training squad to the 30 selected."
But Wales have been dealt a blow with talented scrum-half Logan Franklin and wing Harry Rees-Weldon ruled out of the tournament through injury.
Neath scrum-half Ellis Lewis is the only uncapped player in the squad.
'I think the pleasing thing is the boys are confident and they know they can go out there and compete with so called top teams in the competition and we're not afraid," said Whiffin.
"We're going out there saying we want to get into that top semi-final bracket and once you get into that bracket you never know what's going to happen. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
'It means we'll need to play well and back those performances up but the boys are confident and we were close last year but didn't get over the line – I think we've proved in the Six nations we can knock over some of those tighter games so hopefully we can see that in the World Cup."
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Wales U20s squad: Ioan Emanuel (Bath), Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears), Harry Thomas (Scarlets), Saul Hurley (Aberavon), Evan Wood (Pontypool), Sam Scott (Bristol Bears), Owain James (Dragons), Jac Pritchard (Scarlets), Luke Evans (Exeter Chiefs), Kenzie Jenkins (Bristol Bears), Nick Thomas (Dragons), Tom Cottle (Cardiff), Dan Gemine (Ospreys), Deian Gwynne (Gloucester), Harry Beddall (Dragons - Captain), Caio James (Gloucester), Evan Minto (Dragons), Sion Davies (Cardiff), Ellis Lewis (Neath), Harri Wilde (Cardiff), Harri Ford (Dragons), Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff), Elis Price (Scarlets), Elijah Evans (Cardiff), Osian Roberts (Sale Sharks), Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff), Aidan Boshoff (Bristol Bears), Lewis Edwards (Ospreys), Jack Woods (Bath), Tom Bowen (Cardiff).
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