You don’t need to trawl the history books for too long to find the likes of George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Justin Tipuric, Cory Hill and Elliott Dee competing for Wales U18 and now the next generation of players from the northern hemisphere Tier 1 nations will be out to follow in their footsteps and impress regional and international coaches alike.
The best young players from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and hosts Wales will each play three games on March 31, April 4 and April 8. Each matchday will comprise of three U18 internationals, the first matchday taking place at the Caerphilly Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach while the other two matchdays will be at Cardiff Arms Park.
The aim of the festival is to provide a competitive and professional environment to help develop the top players in their age group from each country, while the national teams will also spend some time with host clubs, interacting with local mini and junior players and helping out at club coaching sessions on April 5.
Wales U18 head coach Geraint Lewis, whose side will firstly play England U18 in a one-off international in Pontypridd on Sunday March 25 said: “It’s fantastic that we’re able to host this festival in Wales. It’s a great opportunity to showcase an age grade which boasts some superb talent full of flair and a fearless approach to the way they play.
“This will make it a real spectacle for supporters. As a coach of Wales U18 and Wales U20, I’ve been lucky enough to witness first-hand the players coming through this pathway, and the success they’ve achieved at regional and international level. This tournament will undoubtedly feature the stars of the future, which is very exciting.”
WRU Head of Rugby Performance Geraint John added, “This is the first rung on the international ladder, yet some players will quickly progress from Under 18 rugby to Wales U20 and the senior game so it’s important the players are exposed to the best possible level of international competition in order to help that transition.
“They also gain off the field from the experience of spending time together as a squad – the training and preparation in a high performance environment as well as off the field such as the legacy events with local clubs.”
Clubs to host legacy events on April 5: Caerphilly, Dunvant, Llandaff North, Penallta, Pentyrch, St Peters.
Matchday schedule:
Saturday 31 March, Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach
12 noon Scotland U18 v England U18
2.30pm Wales U18 v France U18
5pm Ireland U18 v Italy U18
Wednesday 4 April, Cardiff Arms Park
12noon Italy U18 v England U18
2.30pm Ireland U18 v Wales U18
5pm France U18 v Scotland U18
Sunday 8 April Cardiff Arms Park
12noon Ireland U18 v Scotland U18
2.30pm Italy U18 v Wales U18
5pm France U18 v England U18
Tickets for each matchday are £5 adults, U16s go free (maximum 2 free tickets per paying adult). Tickets for matchday 1 are on sale now at Ystrad Mynach CSE and by calling 01443 864767. Tickets for Matchdays 2 and 3 will only be available on the gate on matchday.
