Geraint Lewis’ team left for South Africa on Monday and will kick-off their campaign against South African Schools at the Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch, on Friday (16:00 local time). They will be hoping to repeat the 18-17 victory they posted at the same venue last year over the South African Schools A team.
They will have to do so without the services of influential back row man Alun Lawrence (Cardiff Blues), who has been replaced by Taine Basham (Dragons), Rhys Davies (Bath), replaced by Ben Fry (Hartpury), and James McCarthy (Dragons), replaced by Dewi Cross (Ospreys). Joe Roberts (Scarlets) has been added to the squad.
This is the sixth year that the Welsh team has headed to South Africa and last season they picked up their first win over a Springbok side as they triumphed 18-17 against the South African Schools A team. Next week they will go in search of their first win over England on South African soil in what will be their fifth meeting.
Their previous encounters have all been very close run affairs, with England coming out on top in all of them to date by now more than a single score. It was 24-21 in 2014, 17-15 in 2013 and 28-25 in 2012.
The development trip has been a breeding ground of a host of future Under 20 and senior internationals. Ospreys prop Nicky Smith and wing Dafydd Howells played in the 2012 matches, along with Dragons wing Hallam Amos, while Steff Evans, Tyler Morgan, Ryan Elias, Rory Thornton, Tomas Williams, Ollie Griffiths and Adam Beard all played in 2013 and the 2014 party included new Wales lock Seb Davies.
Harri Morgan is one of six Ospreys players in the squad and he can’t wait to get stuck into the biggest challenge of his rugby career.
“We just can’t wait to get there and get stuck into what will be three very hard games. It doesn’t get much bigger than playing against South Africa in front of a big home crowd,” said Morgan.
“We are ready to rise to the challenge when we get out there. We want to win all three games and we know we will have to match the intensity of the other sides to do that.”
Wales U18 Squad for tour to South Africa
Cardiff Blues: Joe Miles, Ben Thomas, Ben Warren
WRU Exiles: Ben Fry (Hartpury), Callum Morris (Lymm College), Morgan Nelson (Gloucester), Tommy Reffell (Leicester)
Dragons: Lennon Greggains, Will Griffiths, Tom Hoppe, Josh Reynolds, Taine Basham
Ospreys: Callum Carson, Cai Evans, Harri Morgan, Dylan Moss, Jordan Walters, Dewi Cross
Scarlets: Dan Davies, Rhys Davies, Lewis Ellis-Jones, Llyr Green, Morgan Jones, Tommi Lewis, Thomas Rogers, JoeRoberts
Wales Under 18 in South Africa – P15 W5 D2 L8
AUGUST 2016
Wales U18 17 – 23 SA Schools
Wales U18 41 – 15 Italy U18
Wales U18 18 – 17 SA Schools A
AUGUST 2015
SA Schools 42 – 11 Wales U18
Italy U18 10 – 32 Wales U18
SA Schools A 20 – 20 Wales U18
AUGUST 2014
Wales U18 21 – 24 England U18
Wales U18 15 – 40 SA Schools
Wales U18 10 – 9 France U18
AUGUST 2013
Wales U18 47 – 8 France U18
Wales U18 15 – 17 England U18
Wales U18 13 – 14 South Africa U18
August 2012
Wales U18 25 – 28 England U18
Wales U18 6 – 24 SA Schools
Wales U18 13 – 13 France U18
