On Friday 11th August, they take on hosts South Africa Schools in Stellenbosch. Four days later it’s the turn of England to face the young men in red (four months after their absorbing encounter in Ebbw Vale), this time in Paarl. Wales then round off the tour with a match against France in the Athlone suburb of Cape Town.
The Welsh squad has been in training over the past fortnight, with coach Geraint Lewis stating that he wants his team to be “as well-prepared as possible for what’s going to be a tough challenge ahead.”
“It’s something for the players to really look forward to,” says Lewis. “They’ll be testing themselves against South Africa, France and England. They’re going to be three really tough games, especially in those South African conditions which are really conducive to good rugby, and I’m sure the players are really looking forward to it. As coaches, we look forward to seeing how they cope with the challenge.”
Lewis is once again coaching the U18s alongside his U20 colleagues, Chris Horsman and Jason Strange. This time around, they’ve enjoyed the input of Scarlets skills coach Dai Flanagan and current Wales Sevens player Adam Thomas.
Thomas, the lynchpin of the Wales Sevens team for many seasons, says he’s making the most of the opportunity while he’s still going strong as a player: “It’s been exciting for me to have a taste of coaching at this level, working with these coaches. I’ve always coached at some level, whether it was with Ponty Schools last year, or Ynysybwl, my local rugby team.
“Hopefully it’s a natural progression. I’ve worked a lot with Richie Pugh and Gareth Williams with the sevens development team throughout the year, so it’s another step coming in with Wales U18 and seeing how everything works in that professional environment.”
Several former Wales U18 players were part of the national squad’s successful tour over the summer, winning two from two against Tonga and Samoa. The likes of Dillon Lewis, Ryan Elias, Rory Thornton and Seb Davies all played a part in doing the Welsh jersey proud in the games at Eden Park and Apia Park, with a large number of players unavailable due to British and Irish Lions duty and injury.
Wales U18 squad:
Cardiff Blues: Joe Miles, Ben Thomas, Ben Warren WRU Exiles: Rhys Davies (Bath), Ben Fry (Hartpury), Morgan Nelson (Gloucester), Tommy Reffell (Leicester) Dragons: Taine Basham, Lennon Greggains, Will Griffiths, Tom Hoppe, Josh Reynolds Ospreys: Callum Carson, Dewi Cross, Cai Evans, Harri Morgan, Dylan Moss, Jordan Walters Scarlets: Dan Davies, Rhys Davies, Lewis Ellis-Jones, Morgan Jones, Tomi Lewis, Scott Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Callum Morris, Josh Roberts, Thomas Rogers.
Full fixtures:
Friday 11 August
Venue: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
14:15 France v England
16:00 SA Schools v Wales
Tuesday 15 August
Venue: Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl
14:15 England v Wales
16:00 SA Schools v France
Saturday 19 August
Venue: City Park, Athlone
12:15 France v Wales
14:00 SA Schools v England
All of Wales’ games will be streamed live on the S4C Chwaraeon Facebook page.
