In a repeat of the U18 final, in which the Ospreys clinched a 22-15 victory at Llandovery two weeks ago, the U20 Ospreys will bid to hold onto the second of their three WRU Reebok Regional trophies.
Garin Jenkins, head coach of the Ospreys U20 side said: “This is the third season I have been involved with the Ospreys U20 set-up and we are lucky to be in a third consecutive final. This is a great competition because it bloods our elite young talent;Â two seasons ago when we narrowly lost in the final to the Scarlets, James Hook, Alun Wyn Jones and Martin Roberts were all in our Ospreys U20 side. Along with those players who have broken into the regional and national sides, many others are playing quality rugby in the Principality Premiership.
“This season, ours is a workman-like side; a good team without too many individual stars. We have come up against a great standard of competition this season, especially the Blues who we meet again in the final tonight. The Blues side are very strong in the set-piece and around the tackle area.
“However, St Helen’s is one of the best surfaces in Wales and as long as we can compete with the Blues in the possession stakes, we will be looking to put some width on our game. The most important is that these young players enjoy the game and the chance of playing in a final this evening.”
Eight members of the recently announced Wales U20 squad and eleven Wales U19 squad members are named in the finalists’ squads.
Mostyn Richards, WRU Elite Performance Manager said: “Along with the Principality Premiership, the WRU U20 Reebok Regional Championship provides an excellent springboard for players to step up to the Wales U19, U20 and Wales Sevens squads.
“The U20 Reebok Regional Championship in particular affords the opportunity for players to pit themselves in direct competition with their age group peers. While the Wales U19 and U20 squad members have been selected for the forthcoming matches, the door is always open for players who perform well at this level.”
Ospreys: J Howells, J Pike, A Wilkins, N Harwood, L Halfpenny, T Cole, C Morgan, P Price, M Breeze, D Matthews, J Griffiths, N White, J Jones, Lee Simms, S Kiley (capt)
Replacements: R Lewis, N Roberts, M Jones, R Lawrence, M Jeffreys, R Bevington, J Richards
Blues: K Baller, J Egan, L Thomas, TÂ Cooper, G Jones, L Ford, T Isaac, N Eaves, A Fowler, P Palmer, M Al-Azzawi, J Down, J Groves (capt), J Cullen, M Larson
Replacements from: S Thomas, H Dowden, K Jenkins, M Gardner, A Wilson, L Scarfe, M Schropfer, T Daley
