Wales have named their side for their U20 RBS 6 Nations clash against Italy.
A win would give Wales a first ever U20 Grand Slam, and with Italy the opponents, they will strongly fancy their chances. The game is live at 19.05 on BBC 2 Wales on Friday evening.
Head Coach Jason Strange has made just one change from the side that beat England U20 42-16 last week, with George Gasson ruled out through injury, meaning Joe Thomas comes into the starting XV.
Speaking ahead of the game, Strange said:
“We’ve rewarded the players for their outstanding performance last week. Joe Thomas has featured on the centre and wing during the campaign so he is comfortable there.”
“It is a fantastic achievement to win the Triple Crown, it was a good performance but we can still make improvements, which will be our main objective on Friday. The players got a taste of what it feels like to produce a really memorable performance last week, and they want to enjoy that again by finishing on a high this weekend.”
“We’ve addressed the dangers of getting ahead of ourselves and if our mindset is not right. We must stay focussed on our own expectations and on meeting our high standards. Playing in big occasions like this one is a key part of the players’ development, we want them to continue playing with skill and ambition. The effort and unity they’ve shown has been our strength so far and our collective team spirit will be vital on Friday.”
“We are certainly not going to underestimate Italy. They were unfortunate not to beat Ireland last weekend. They will bring a strong physical challenge and have an effective driving line-out and set-piece. However, we must concentrate on our own game and producing a performance and result that rewards the players, but also everyone who has supported them, along with the supporters and staff at Eirias who have once again been tremendous. It would be a fantastic boost to play in front of a sell-out crowd on Friday.”
Wales U20 v Italy U20 – Colwyn Bay, Friday, 19.05 – Live on BBC 2 Wales
Wales U20 XV:
15 Rhun Williams (RGC)
14 Joe Thomas (Ospreys)
13 Harri Millard (Cardiff Blues)
12 Owen Watkin (Ospreys)
11 Keelan Giles (Ospreys)
10 Daniel Jones (Scarlets)
9 Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys)
1 Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Blues)
2 Dafydd Hughes (Scarlets)
3 Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues)
4 Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues)
5 Adam Beard (Ospreys)
6 Tom Phillips (captain, Scarlets)
7 Shaun Evans (Scarlets)
8 Harrison Keddie (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Replacements:
16 Ifan Phillips (Scarlets)
17 Rhys Fawcett (Scarlets)
18 Leon Brown (Newport Gwent Dragons)
19 Bryce Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons)
20 Morgan Sieniawski (Cardiff Blues)
21 Declan Smith (Scarlets)
22 Billy McBryde (Scarlets)
23 Joe Gage (Ospreys)
