Designed to engage with young Welsh-qualified players and their families who are based outside Wales they’re organised to potentially provide a pathway for young Welsh players into the age grade and regional system in Wales.
As WRU Exiles Programme Manager Gareth Davies outlined: “Strategically, the Exiles programme is a very important part of our pathway opportunities. The one-day camps were delivered by some of the best age grade coaches in Wales and avoid families having to spend time and money travelling to Wales to enable them to benefit from the experience.
“Regardless of the current standard of the player, the objective of the Exiles camps is to engage with Welsh qualified players based outside Wales and help them maximise their potential.
“We have a number of products of the Exiles programme involved in our national age grade squads and many others involved with the regions here in Wales. We have strong and important links with education establishments and universities here in Wales where young Exiles have the chance to combine their rugby development with their academic progress to help them transition into senior rugby whilst being monitored by our regions.
“We were delighted with the standard of the players last week and it was great to see so many parents at the events too. The presence of various 6th form institutions from Wales, and also Cardiff Met University and Swansea University, helped demonstrate the academic options for players too.
In recent years the programme has operated more strategically and is now aligned more closely with the WRU National Age Grade programme and with player recruitment for the regions in line with senior national succession planning.
The Exiles age grade programme is open to all Welsh qualified players aged 12 to 18 based outside Wales and gives them and their families an opportunity to engage with the WRU.
“When parents come to us and say their Welsh qualified son or daughter is based outside Wales and enjoys playing rugby and ask whether there are any opportunities for them in the WRU pathway we can say with complete confidence that the answer is categorically “Yes”. The same applies when we are approached by agents of senior professional players whose clients are Welsh qualified,” added Davies.
“There are hundreds of young Welsh qualified players in the programme and there is a pathway for every single one of them to maximise their potential here in Wales. We have also facilitated opportunities in Wales for young players from New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Australia and from all over Europe.”
“Many Exiles come into the programme when they’re 14 or 15 and we continue to engage with them and monitor their progress.
“The excellent relationship we have with the Welsh regions means that there’s also a credible route to professional rugby too. Now that World Rugby has increased the Reg 8 residency eligibility criteria from three years to five years the Exiles programme is more relevant than ever.”
The next one-day open camps will take place during the summer.
Players must be registered with the Exiles programme via www.wru.wales/exiles to be invited.
