Wales will play Scotland, Italy and France in Friday night clashes on February 8th and 22nd and March 14th (all 7.10pm) as the top Under 20 teams in the world prepare to compete in the inaugural IRB Junior World Championship which will take place across Wales in June.
Wales Under 20 Head Coach Patrick Horgan, who is also head coach of current Principality Premiership table toppers Ebbw Vale, said: “There has been great support for Under 21 sides when they’ve played at Newport in recent years so hopefully the fans will come out and support us against Scotland, Italy and France.
“We are lucky to have three home matches in the Six Nations Championship this year and we must win those if we are to make our mark on the competition.
“All the teams involved will have an eye on the Junior World Championship in June, but the best kind of preparation is to perform and compete well against other good sides so the Six Nations will be a big yardstick for our development.”
The Wales Under 20 preliminary squad began training in earnest over the weekend at a Swansea training camp with Horgan happy with what he has seen so far.
“All 34 players involved at this stage look very useful,” he said. “It will be very difficult to cut the squad to 26 or 27 but I’m sure as the season progresses certain players will be jumping onto the train if they regain fitness and form while others will jump off.
“This weekend was extremely productive for us as a squad and management group.
“The players have a huge amount of enthusiasm, a quality that was evident in many of the group during the IRB Under 19 World Championship last season, and there is no shortage of skill either.
“We will make our final decision on the Six Nations squad after the final of the Under 20 Reebok Regional Championship between the Blues and the Ospreys which takes place on December 27th at Eugene Cross Park (7.15pm).
“We then have another series of training sessions and a training match against an Ospreys XV on Monday, January 14th at Aberavon (7.15pm) before our Six Nations campaign kicks off against England on February 1st.”
WALES UNDER 20 FIXTURES 2008
Wales Under 20 v Ospreys XV: Monday 14 January, Aberavon – 7.15pm
England v Wales: Friday 1 February, Gloucester – kick-off tbc
Wales v Scotland: Friday 8 February, Newport – 7.10pm
Wales v Italy: Friday 22 February, Newport – 7.10pm
Ireland v Wales: Friday 7 March, Athlone – kick-off tbc
Wales v France: Friday 14 March, Newport – 7.10pm
IRB Junior World Championship: June 6-22 – Wales –Â Click Here for full fixture list
Tickets for Wales Under 20 v Ospreys XV will be available on the gate at £5 for adults, £3 for Under 16s / concessions.
