Wales and Scotland have named their sides for their U18 Six Nations Festival clash at 4.10pm on Wednesday (17th April).
The game takes place at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium, following France v Italy and England v Ireland, with FreeSports showing all three games live, as they are for all three matchdays at the Festival.
Both sides lost their opening games at Hartpury College, Wales losing out 38-20 to hosts England and Scotland conceding two late scores for a heartbreaking 19-18 defeat to Italy.
There are plenty of changes for each, as expected given the quick turnaround, Wales Head Coach Chris Horsman has retained just four players and only one of those in the same position as they were against England.
Clifton College’s Ioan Lloyd moves from full back to fly half, where his club Bristol Bears are rumoured to see his future. That sees Millfield’s Dan John start at full back, with Whitgift’s Ed Dunford on the bench.
Glantaf’s Mason Grady meanwhile moves from the centre to the wing, while up front Bridgend College’s Harri Deaves moves from the blindside flank to the openside. Caldicot’s Ben Carter is the only player to start in the same position as he did in the last game, he is in the second row alongside Neath Port Talbot’s James Fender and also holds the captaincy.
Joining John and Grady in the back three is Hartpury College’s Louis Rees-Zammit, who missed the defeat to England at his home ground because he was playing for Gloucester, becoming their youngest Premiership player.
Rees-Zammit is one of six players in the starting fifteen that are at school in England, along with a further three on the bench. Joining him, John, and Lloyd in the backline is another of those Exiles, Rees-Zammit’s schoolmate Tom Mathews, who starts at inside centre alongside Coleg y Cymoedd’s Ioan Evans, Newbridge’s Dylan Davies completes the backline at scrum half.
With four Exiles in the backline, there are two up front, starting with Eastbourne College’s Theo Bevacqua at loosehead, his front row colleagues are Coleg Sir Gars Rhodri King and Ystalyfera’s Lewys Jones. The final English schooled player is Sedbergh’s Carwyn Tuipulotu, who starts at number 8, with Deaves and Cymoedd’s Alex Mann joining him in the back row.
On the bench the Whitgift pair of Ed Dunford and Harry Breeze could come on, along with Millfield hooker Oliver Burrows.
Speaking to www.wru.wales ahead of the game, Horsman said: “We weren’t clinical enough (against England), saying that it was a great experience for the boys.”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how Mason Grady and Dan John and Louis Rees-Zammit combine as there is a lot of attacking threat there in the back three. Louis has been involved in the U18s for the past couple of years and will be buzzing after his debut for Gloucester against Bath on Saturday.”
Scotland meanwhile have made nine changes to the side that lost that nail-biting contest to Italy. Star Merchiston Castle scrum half Jamie Dobie stays at scrum half but he has a new half back partner in Dumfries Saints’ Joseph Strain at outside half.
Dobie’s Merchiston Castle teammate Matt Currie is retained at outside centre but he has a new partner in the form of SGS Filton College’s Tom Jones, one of three players in the starting side that are at school in England. Another is St Albans winger Cameron Furley, who starts on the left wing, with Hamilton Bulls’ Jordan Craig on the right and Fettes College’s Harry Patterson at full back in an all-new back three.
Up front a third Merchiston Castle schoolboy retains his place, Dan Gamble is again at tighthead, but the rest of the front row is changed. Marr’s Jamie Drummond comes in at loosehead while Preston Lodge High School’s James Johnstone comes in at tighthead.
The third Exile in the side is in the back row, Rugby School’s Ben Muncaster retaining his place at number 8, while George Watson’s College’s Harri Morris is again at openside, with Queen Victoria’s Josh King coming in on the blindside.
U18 Six Nations Festival – Wales v Scotland: Wednesday, 4.10pm, Sixways Stadium (Live on FreeSports)
Team News:
Wales
15 Dan John (Exiles & Millfield)
14 Mason Grady (Cardiff Blues & Glantaf/Bro Morgannwg)
13 Ioan Evans (Cardiff Blues & Coleg y Cymoedd)
12 Tom Mathews (Exiles & Hartpury College)
11 Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester & Hartpury College)
10 Ioan Lloyd (Bristol & Clifton College)
9 Dylan Davies (Dragons & Newbridge/Cross Keys College)
1 Theo Bevacqua (Exiles & Eastbourne College)
2 Rhodri King (Scarlets & Coleg Sir Gar)
3 Lewys Jones (Ospreys & Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera)
4 Ben Carter (Dragons & Caldicot, captain)
5 James Fender (Ospreys & Neath/Port Talbot College)
6 Alex Mann (Cardiff Blues & Coleg Y Cymoedd)
7 Harri Deaves (Ospreys & Bridgend College)
8 Carwyn Tuipulotu (Scarlets & Sedburgh)
Replacements: 16 Oliver Burrows (Ospreys & Millfield), 17 Sam O Connor (Scarlets & Coleg Sir Gar), 18 Iestyn Haskins (Cardiff Blues & Coleg y Cymoedd), 19 Rhys Anstey (Cardiff Blues & Coleg y Cymoedd), 20 Harry Breeze (Scarlets & Whitgift), 21 Bradley Roderick (Ospreys & Neath/Port Talbot College), 23 Ethan Lloyd (Cardiff Blues & Ysgol Cwm Rhondda), 24 Ed Dunford (Exiles & Whitgift), 25 Ethan Fackrell (Cardiff Blues & Coleg Y Cymoedd), 26 Morgan Richards (Dragons & Newport HS).
Scotland
15 Harry Patterson (Fettes College)
14 Jordan Craig (Hamilton Bulls)
13 Matt Currie (Merchiston Castle)
12 Tom Jones (SGS Filton College/Bristol Bears)
11 Cameron Furley (St Albans/Saracens)
10 Joseph Strain (Dumfries Saints)
9 Jamie Dobie (Merchiston Castle)
1 Jamie Drummond (Marr)
2 James Johnstone (Preston Lodge HS/Preston Lodge)
3 Dan Gamble (Merchiston Castle)
4 Alex Samuel (St Leonard’s/Madras)
5 Rory Jackson (Kelvinside Academy)
6 Josh King (Queen Victoria/Stirling County)
7 Harri Morris (George Watson’s College)
8 Ben Muncaster (Rugby/Leicester Tigers)
Replacements: 16 Scott Clelland (Ayr), 17 Ben Mace (Stirling County), 18 Cole Lamberton (The Royal HS), 19 Struan Whittaker (Edinburgh Accies), 20 Jamie Campbell (Kelvinside Academy), 21 Cameron Scott (Preston Lodge), 22 Alex Harley (George Watson’s College), 23 Finlay Callaghan (GHK), 24 Gregor Brown (Robert Gordon’s College), 25 Nathan Sweeney (Loretto), 26 Scott King (Heriot’s).
U18 6 Nations Festival Fixtures/Results (all live on FreeSports):
Matchday 1 – Saturday 13th April, Gillman’s Ground, Hartpury College
England 38-20 Wales
Ireland 24-29 France
Scotland 18-19 Italy
Matchday 2 – Wednesday 17th April, Sixways, Worcester Warriors
France v Italy – 11.10am
Ireland v England – 1.40pm
Wales v Scotland – 4.10pm
Matchday 3 – Sunday 21st April, Kingsholm, Gloucester
Scotland v Ireland – 11.10am
England v France – 1.40pm
Italy v Wales – 4.10pm