Wales national under-20 rugby union team

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Wales Under 20
File:Wru logo.png
UnionWelsh Rugby Union
Emblem(s)The Prince of Wales's feathers
Ground(s)Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay [1]
Rodney Parade, Newport
Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Coach(es)Byron Hayward
Team kit
Change kit
First international
Wales Wales 15–28 England England
(1 February 2008)
Largest win
Wales Wales 74–3 Samoa Samoa
(12 June 2012)
Largest defeat
New Zealand New Zealand 92–0 Wales Wales
(14 June 2011)
World Cup
Appearances6 (First in 2008)
Best resultRunners up, 2013

The Wales national Under 20 rugby team is for Welsh rugby union players aged 20 or under on January 1 of the year during which they are selected.

Under 20 age grade rugby came into existence, as a result of the IRB combining the Under 19 Rugby World Championship and Under 21 Rugby World Championship into a single IRB Junior World Championship tournament.[2] They also compete in the Six Nations Under 20s Championship.

2008 Junior World Championships

In June 2008 Wales hosted the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship. As hosts they played all their group matches at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, starting against Italy on Friday 6 June, before further ties against Japan and France.[3] Wales won all three group matches before losing the semi-final to New Zealand and subsequently losing the 3rd place play-off to South Africa.

For the tournament the same management team remained from the 2008 U20 Six Nations; head coach Patrick Horgan and assistant coaches Rob Appleyard and Wayne Jones. Sam Warbuton remained as captain.[4]

For the next two Junior World championships, Wales alongside France will have to start the pool stages with a three-point deficit, following a brawl between the two sides in the 2008 tournament.[5]

2010 Junior World Championships

At the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship the Welsh squad won 2 games in the preliminary round against Samoa and Fiji while losing to New Zealand. At the playoffs for the 5th–8th place they first drew with Argentina 19–19 but lost in a drop goal shootout 9–8 and then met Fiji for a second time, again winning by 39–15 to finish in 7th place.

2011 Junior World Championships

After winning their opening game 34–8 against Argentina they were on the receiving end of a 92–0 thrashing by New Zealand in Italy

2012 Junior World Championships

In 2012 Wales beat the baby All Blacks 9 - 6, the first time New Zealand have ever been defeated in the competition. This was also the first Welsh win against New Zealand at any level since 1954. However, later in the tournament Wales lost 30-6 to New Zealand in the semi-final.

Current squad

Wales Under 20 squad for the 2015 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[6]

Forwards
Pos Player Club Region
HK Liam Belcher Porth Cardiff Blues
HK Torin Myhill Llanelli Scarlets
HK Ryan Elias Carmarthen Quins Scarlets
PR Luke Garrett Cross Keys Newport Gwent Dragons
PR Harrison Walsh Swansea Ospreys
PR Dillon Lewis Pontypridd Cardiff Blues
PR Alex Jeffries Newport Newport Gwent Dragons
PR Joe Jones Cardiff Cardiff Blues
LK Joe Davies Bedwas Newport Gwent Dragons
LK Rory Thornton Swansea Ospreys
LK Adam Beard Aberavon Ospreys
LK Seb Davies Pontypridd Cardiff Blues
FL Tom Phillips Llanelli Scarlets
FL Ollie Griffiths Newport Newport Gwent Dragons
N8 Harrison Keddie Ebbw Vale Newport Gwent Dragons
N8 Jordan Viggers Cardiff Cardiff Blues
N8 Rory Bartle Gloucester
Backs
Pos Player Club Region
SH Kieran Hardy Carmarthen Quins Scarlets
SH Tom Williams Pontypridd Cardiff Blues
SH Owen Davies Newport Newport Gwent Dragons
FH Daniel Jones Carmarthen Quins Scarlets
FH Callum Sheedy Bristol
CE Garyn Smith Pontypridd Cardiff Blues
CE Tyler Morgan Newport Newport Gwent Dragons
CE Owen Watkin Swansea Ospreys
CE Danny Cross RGC
CE Barney Nightingale Newport Newport Gwent Dragons
WG Joshua Adams Llanelli Scarlets
WG Rhys Williams Leicester Tigers
WG Elis Wyn-Benham Cardiff Cardiff Blues
FB James Whittingham Cardiff RFC Cardiff Blues
FB Dafydd Howells Neath Ospreys

Management

  • Byron Hayward - Head Coach
  • Mark Taylor - Team Manager
  • Ioan Cunningham - Assistant Coach
  • Richard Hodges - Assistant Coach
  • Patrick Moran - Physiotherapist
  • Ashley James - Physiotherapist
  • Julian Widdowson - Team Doctor
  • Marc Kinnaird - Video Analyst
  • Craig Whelan - Video Analyst
  • Richard Smout - Logistics Manager
  • Mark Kilgallon - Strength & Conditioning
  • Rhodri Williams - Strength & Conditioning

Results and Statistics

Junior World Championships
Year P W D L PF PA Diff BP Pts Pool place Play-offs Final position
2010 3 2 0 1 63 59 +4 0 8 2nd (5th–8th Semifinals) Lost to Argentina 19 – 19 (9–8 in drop goal shootout)
(7th–8th Final) Beat Fiji 39 – 15
7th
2009 3 2 0 1 107 58 +49 2 7 2nd (5th–8th Semifinals) Beat Ireland 19 – 17
(5th–6th Final) Lost to France 68 – 13
6th
2008 3 3 0 0 85 39 +46 2 14 1st (Semifinals) Lost to New Zealand 31 – 6
(3rd–4th Final) Lost to South Africa 43 – 18
4th
Under 20 Six Nations Championships
Season P W D L P Position
2010 5 3 0 2 6 3rd
2009 5 1 0 4 2 5th
2008 5 4 0 1 8 2nd
2007 5 1 1 3 3 4th

Notable former coaches

Notable former players

References

  1. ^ Wales Under 20 venue
  2. ^ WRU: IRB Junior World Championships: Wales 2008: About the Tournament
  3. ^ WRU: IRB Junior World Championships: Wales 2008: Fixtures & Results
  4. ^ "Horgan announces Wales U20 JWC squad". Welsh Rugby Union. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  5. ^ "Brawl teams given suspended fines". BBC News. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  6. ^ "U20 Six Nations: Tyler Morgan included in Wales' 32-man squad". BBC Sport. 16 January 2015.