Wales national under-20 rugby union team
| File:Welsh Rugby Union logo.svg | |||
| Union | Welsh Rugby Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem(s) | The Prince of Wales's feathers | ||
| Ground(s) | Eirias Stadium, Colwyn Bay[1] Rodney Parade, Newport Liberty Stadium, Swansea Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli | ||
| Coach(es) | Gareth Williams | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Wales 15–28 England  (1 February 2008) | |||
| Largest win | |||
Wales 74–3 Samoa  (12 June 2012) | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
 New Zealand 92–0 Wales (14 June 2011) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 6 (First in 2008) | ||
| Best result | Runners up, 2013 | ||
The Wales national Under 20 rugby team is for Welsh rugby union players aged 20 or under on 1 January 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 2022 U20 Six Nations Summer Series.[6]
| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Oli Burrows | Hooker | Exeter Chiefs
|
| Efan Daniel | Hooker | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Morgan Veness | Hooker | Ealing Trailfinders
|
| Rhys Barratt | Prop | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Nathan Evans | Prop | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Ellis Fackrell | Prop | Ospreys
|
| Cameron Jones | Prop | Ospreys
|
| Adam Williams | Prop | Dragons RFC
|
| Dafydd Jenkins | Lock | Exeter Chiefs
|
| Christ Tshiunza | Lock | Exeter Chiefs
|
| Caleb Salmon | Lock | Scarlets
|
| Ryan Woodman | Lock | Dragons RFC
|
| Benji Williams | Lock | Ospreys
|
| Ethan Fackrell | Back Row | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Morgan Morse | Back Row | Ospreys
|
| Ben Williams | Back Row | Ospreys
|
| Mackenzie Martin | Back Row | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Che Hope | Scrum-half | Dragons RFC
|
| Rhodri Lewis | Scrum-half | Ospreys
|
| Morgan Lloyd | Scrum-half | Dragons RFC
|
| Dan Edwards | Fly-half | Ospreys
|
| Josh Phillips | Fly-half | Scarlets
|
| Bryn Bradley | Centre | Harlequins
|
| Mason Grady | Centre | Cardiff Rugby
|
| Joe Hawkins | Centre | Ospreys
|
| Joe Westwood | Centre | Dragons RFC
|
| Oli Andrew | Wing | Ospreys
|
| Harri Houston | Wing | Ospreys
|
| Iestyn Hopkins | Full-back | Ospreys
|
| Cameron Winnett | Full-back | Cardiff Rugby
|
Management
- Byron Hayward - Head Coach
- Andy Lloyd - Team Manager
- Craig Everett - Defence Coach
- Shaun Connor – Breakdown Coach
- Richard Kelly - Set Piece Coach
- Rhodri Williams - Strength & Conditioning
Results and statistics
| 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 |
| Season | P | W | D | L | P | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1st (Grand Slam) |
| 2015 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3rd |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3rd |
| 2013 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2nd |
| 2012 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4th |
| 2011 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3rd |
| 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
- Dai Rees (2007)
- Phil Davies (2009)
- Darren Edwards (2010)
- Richard Webster (2011)
- Jason Strange (2015)
- Chris Horsman (2018)
Notable former players
- Tom James (2007)
- Bradley Davies (2007)
- Dan Biggar (2008)
- Jonathan Davies (2008)
- Leigh Halfpenny (2008)
- Sam Warburton (2008)
- Alun Wyn Jones (2006)
References
- ^ Wales Under 20 venue
- ^ WRU: IRB Junior World Championships: Wales 2008: About the Tournament
- ^ WRU: IRB Junior World Championships: Wales 2008: Fixtures & Results
- ^ "Horgan announces Wales U20 JWC squad". Welsh Rugby Union. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ^ "Brawl teams given suspended fines". BBC News. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ^ "Wales name men's squad for U20 Six Nations Summer Series". Welsh Rugby Union. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.