WRU international skills coach Jason Strange has been appointed Wales Under 20 head coach for the coming season. Strange steps up to the role after assisting newly retired Allan Lewis last season. Fellow WRU international skills coaches Geraint Lewis and Chris Horsman remain as assistant coaches (forwards and scrum), along with defence coach, Blues performance manager Richard Hodges and team manager Mark Taylor.
Geraint Lewis will continue as Wales Under 18 head coach, assisted by Chris Horsman as scrum coach while Dragons performance manager James Chapron and Cardiff Met’s Danny Milton continue as defence and backs coach respectively.
The Wales Sevens personnel is unchanged with Gareth Williams and Richie Pugh Wales Sevens head coach and assistant respectively, both having secured assistant coach positions to the Team GB men’s and women’s sevens squads ahead of the Rio Olympics. Steff Thomas remains as team manager.
Rhys Edwards is now Women’s Programme Lead which includes heading up the Wales Women and Wales Women Sevens coaching teams, with Richie Pugh continuing as assistant coach. Kathryn Pacey has been appointed as Wales Women team manager.
WRU Head of Rugby Josh Lewsey said, “The rugby department has gone through significant change over the past two years. Those changes predominately focus on aligning efforts and providing clarity of purpose. Through our coaching, international skills staff, and the structural changes we now have a framework by which we can disseminate the coaching philosophies of the National Squad through our development teams and onto the grassroots of the game via our regionally based staff and hub officers.
“In addition, regional and external staff Richard Hodges, James Chapron and Danny Milton play key roles and increasingly we will work with the Regional and Premiership coaching staff to ensure a collaborative approach to each pathway player’s development.”
WRU elite coach development manager Geraint John added, “The international pathway coaching teams are key, not only to the success of the teams and development of the players within those squads, but also in terms of developing coaches who can go on to become professional coaches for our regions and hopefully put their hats in the ring to coach Wales in the future.
“I’ve been hugely encouraged by the positive attitude and professionalism of all the coaches I’ve met so far since arriving back in Wales last month and I look forward to working together with all our elite coaches to further raise the bar of Welsh coaching.”
WRU international pathway coaching teams
Wales U20
Head coach: Jason Strange
Team manager: Mark Taylor
Assistant coach (forwards): Geraint Lewis
Assistant coach (defence): Richard Hodges
Assistant coach (scrum): Chris Horsman
Performance coach: Richard Neil
Wales U18
Head coach: Geraint Lewis
Assistant coach (backs): Danny Milton
Assistant coach (defence): James Chapron
Assistant coach (scrum): Chris Horsman
Wales Sevens
Head coach: Gareth Williams
Team manager: Steff Thomas
Assistant coach: Richie Pugh
Wales Women
Head coach: Rhys Edwards
Assistant coach: Richie Pugh
Team manager: Kath Pacey
