The development camp will feature the best U18s talent from all four nations in another key development for girls and women’s rugby globally.
Wales is the host nation with the camp being held in the Welsh capital and will provide rugby’s most exciting young players the platform to perform at international level.
The teams will be based at Cardiff University for a week-long camp and will train and play against each other, with shared unit sessions and coach exchanges.
All four teams will play a festival day of adapted 35-minute games at Cardiff University Sports Fields on Tuesday, July 23rd before a double-header at Cardiff Arms Park the following weekend.
Netherlands U18s face Scotland U18s at 11am before Wales U18s play USA U18s at 1.30pm in full games at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, July 27th.
The new rugby initiative with the SRU, USA Rugby and Rugby Nederland is a development partnership designed to develop and identify talent at U18s level ahead of the Women’s U18s Six Nations in April 2025.
Lillicrap, said: “This is a great opportunity for the players and coaches to test ourselves against national teams in the same age-group and will only enhance the squad’s growth. It’s vital we have these types of competitions and camps for this age-group, it allows players to thrive and develop but leaves them hungry for the next stage of their development.
“We saw the benefit of the U18s Six Nations Rugby Festival in Colwyn Bay earlier in the year and the players, coaches and staff learnt so much from that experience and proved invaluable when it came to understanding what is required on the international stage.
“Not only to have the ability to play but to train together as a squad against quality opponents is an outstanding learning tool. Player’s skillset, game-understanding and the physical abilities will be challenged and will assist them with their development.
“To have the opportunity to play other nations with the different styles and approaches to the game will only deepen our experience about the demands of international rugby and provide us with a platform to play at a higher level.”
Wales U18s Development Camp 2024 fixtures
- Tues, July 23rd – All four nations compete against each other in 35-minute games.
- Sat, July 27th – Netherlands v Scotland, Cardiff Arms Park (KO: 11am)
- Sat, July 27th – Wales v USA, Cardiff Arms Park (KO: 1.30pm)
