The Wales men’s U20 [interim] head coach Mark Jones has named his squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa starting later this month.
Dragons RFC’s Ryan Woodman captains the 30-player squad which consists of 17 forwards and 13 backs. There are five uncapped players included in the squad.
The tournament, hosted in the Cape Town region, returns for the first time since 2019, running from June 24 to July 14, and featuring the top 12 U20 rugby nations. Played over five match days, Wales is in Pool A where they will face New Zealand, Japan and France.
“It’s a very mixed team in terms of youth and experience,” said Jones. “There are a lot of exciting players in there particularly around our backline and back row. There is also a lot of potential in the front five moving forward.”
Wales begin their campaign against New Zealand who have won the world crown on five occasions, but Jones is quietly optimistic his young side can be competitive.
“Historically they have been pretty strong in this competition over the years. Someone mentioned the last three times we have played them we have actually won twice.
“It’s not a game we are fearful of – we see it as a real opportunity, we’re very respectful of New Zealand rugby particularly at U20s level. Their school system is phenomenal, I’ve experienced it first-hand. When you are playing a New Zealand team it’s a good measure of where you are – your potential as an individual and as a team.
“We also know the French are very strong in the Six Nations. They picked up some terrific victories, they gave us a good hiding in that tournament and Japan is one of the fasting rising nations in world rugby so they are going to be a very difficult opponent as well.”
Jones added: “We just want to be better than what we were in the Six Nations around our performance levels,” he said.
“If we get the improvements in the areas we have targeted then I think the results will reflect that. We’re looking to improve individually and collectively and that will hopefully give us the best chance of results. None of us are going out there not to win games of rugby.”
Wales match schedule
- Wales U20 v New Zealand U20 – Saturday, 24 June, Paarl Gymnasium – KO 3pm BST
- Wales U20 v Japan U20 – Thursday, 29 June, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch – KO 1pm BST
- Wales U20 v France U20– Tuesday, 4 July, Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town – KO 3.30pm BST
Fast Draw
Sport Trivia: Sally Little became golf\’s 12th LPGA millionaire in 1985. She first made her mark by being name the LPGA Rookie of the Year in what year? Answer: 1971-72. Sally Little went on to win 15 LPGA titles, including three majors.
Bom Crossed
The New Zealand national rugby team, known as the All Blacks, is considered one of the most successful and dominant teams in the history of rugby union. They have won the Rugby World Cup three times (1987, 2011, and 2015) and held the World Rugby Rankings’ top position for a significant amount of time.