But Wales U18 coach Horsman knows that every time his youngsters get the chance to play against sides like South Africa at U18 and the rest of the southern hemisphere giants at Under 20 level it provides them with an invaluable opportunity to assess where they stand in the world game.
“The trip to Stellenbosch is not just about playing against South Africa and France, but the block of time it affords us with the players. It’s all about forging those high performance behaviours,” said Horsman.
“Yes we want to go out to perform and win, but ultimately this trip will give us the opportunity to work with the players and embed behavioural changes in a bid to get them to understand what it’s like to be a professional rugby player.
“I was in the gym the other day with Tommy Reffell before he headed back to Leicester and I made the point to him that he’s now beaten the big three southern hemisphere nations at U18 and U20 level – South Africa with the U18’s and Australia and New Zealand with the 20’s.
“For a Welsh player to be able to say that at his age shows our players have the skill and the ability and that there is some real development going on. It’s not just about beating them, it’s about what those wins signify.”
The annual summer visit to South Africa has given a number of senior internationals the chance to test themselves against aspiring young professionals from some of the biggest rugby playing nations in the world. No fewer than 15 players who have been to South Africa since 2012 have graduated into Warren Gatland’s senior team.
This year’s team kick-off against the South African Schools team on Friday, 9 August and four days later will meet South African Schools A. They complete their trip with a game against France on 17 August.
“With players like Adam Beard and Dillon Lewis you could pretty much say they were always going to come through. The exciting part of the job is when you turn a player who hasn’t got a professional contract into somebody who has,” admitted Horsman.
“There are only two differences from playing age grade and international rugby and that is time and space. It’s a development pathway, not a cul de sac, and all the players are made very clear about what is needed to become an international player.
“This year I’ve made a big play on personal as well as rugby development with this group so they can understand high performance behaviours.
There are lots of tactical and technical requirements to becoming an international player, but that’s all underpinned by high performance behaviours.
“When you look at any international player or athlete, the way they carry themselves or behave is the thing that separates them from the rest. That’s why we will be preparing these boys to do some coaching when they go into the townships in South Africa and why we’ve been giving the parents some high performance evenings.
With players like Adam Beard and Dillon Lewis you could pretty much say they were always going to come through. The exciting part of the job is when you turn a player who hasn’t got a professional contract into somebody who has
“This year I’ve brought in a lady called Camilla Knight, who specialises in high performing parents. She has done workshops with the parents to help them understand about what the programmes are – warts and all.
“Parents and family are the biggest sphere of influence on a young player, so understanding their family situation is very important. We tell them all about the pitfalls and we don’t sugar-coat anything.
“A player might have a disappointment at 18, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to make it. Better people make better players and, if you want a player who can make decisions and be self sufficient and resilient, you have to give them different experiences and expose them to a variety of things.
“The harsh reality is the majority of this group aren’t going to be professional rugby players, but there could be two or three coaches in there, a referee, some PE teachers or youth development officers. We want the investment we put into them to go back into our game in some fashion.”
Previous Wales U18 squads in South Africa
* Players in bold are now full internationals
2018
Backs: Dan Babos (Dragons Academy/Dragons), Ellis Bevan (Bryanston/Exiles), Sam Costelow (Oakham School/Exiles), Harri Doel (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Osian Knott (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Ioan Lloyd (Clifton College/Bristol/Exiles), Evan Lloyd (Coleg Gwent/Dragons), Aneurin Owen (Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw/Dragons), Louis Rees-Zammit (Hartpury College/Exiles), Morgan Richards (Newport High/Dragons), Joe Roberts (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Ewan Rosser (Coleg Gwent/Dragons).
Forwards: Robert Brookson (captain, Coleg Gwent/Dragons), Ioan Davies (Coleg y Cymoedd/Cardiff Blues), Morgan French (Bromsgrove/Worcester), Archie Griffin (Marlborough College/Exiles), Cameron Lewis (Coleg Sir Gar/Ospreys), Jac Morgan (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Garyn Phillips (Coleg y Cymoedd/Cardiff Blues), Llew Phillips-Taylor (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Jac Price (Coleg Sir Gar/Scarlets), Carwyn Tuipulotu (Sedbergh School/Scarlets), Ben Warren (Coleg y Cymoedd/Cardiff Blues), Olly White (Llandovery College/RGC), Callum Williams (Maes y Gwendraeth/Scarlets), Teddy Williams (Ysgol Glantaf/Cardiff Blues), Luke Yendle (Newport High/Dragons).
2017
Backs: Callum Carson (Ospreys), Dewi Cross (Ospreys), Cai Evans (Ospreys), Tom Hoppe (Dragons), Tommi Lewis (Scarlets), Harri Morgan (Ospreys), Callum Morris (Lymm College), Dylan Moss (Ospreys), Joe Roberts (Scarlets), Thomas Rogers (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Cardiff Blues), Jordan Walters (Ospreys)
Forwards: Taine Basham (Dragons), Rhys Davies (Scarlets), Dan Davis (Scarlets), Lewis Ellis-Jones (Scarlets), Ben Fry (Hartpury), Llyr Green (Scarlets), Lennon Greggains (Dragons), Will Griffiths (Dragons), Morgan Jones (Scarlets), Joe Miles (Cardiff Blues), Morgan Nelson (Gloucester), Tommy Reffell (Leicester), Josh Reynolds (Dragons), Ben Warren (Cardiff Blues)
2016
Backs: Jared Rosser (Dragons), Will Talbot Davies (Dragons), Corey Baldwin (Scarlets), Joe Goodchild (Dragons), Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Blues), Dylan Moss (Ospreys), Cameron Lewis (Blues), Ben Jones (Blues), Phil Jones (Ospreys), Owain Leonard (Dragons), Dane Blacker (Blues)
Forwards: Rhys Carre (Blues), Connor Lewis (Blues), Harri Dobbs (Blues), Tom Mably (Blues), Jordan Liney (Ospreys), Corrie Tarrant (Blues), Chris Coleman (Dragons), Callum Bradbury (Blues), Will Griffiths (Ospreys), James Ratti (Ospreys), Max Williams (Dragons), Will Jones (Ospreys), James Botham (Blues), Joe Thomas (Dragons), Morgan Morris (Gloucester)
2015
Backs: Efan Jones (RGC), Matthew Aubrey (Ospreys), Rhun Williams (RGC), Kieran Williams (Ospreys), Connor Edwards (Dragons), Teri Morgan-Gee (Blues), Callum Hall (Blues), Billy McBryde (Scarlets), Danny Cross (RGC ), Ianto Parry (RGC), Josh Hodson (Dragons)
Forwards: Kieron Assirrati (Blues), Steff Thomas (Scarlets), Gerwyn Coleman (Blues), Rhys Fawcett (Scarlets), Leon Brown (Dragons), Corey Domachowski (Blues), Ellis Shipp (Dragons), Callum Bradbury (Blues), Shane Lewis-Hughes (Blues), Aled Ward (Blues), Morgan Sieniawski (Blues), Calum Haggett (Blues), Josh Macleod (Scarlets), Shaun Evans (Scarlets), Bryce Morgan (Dragons)
2014
Backs: Matthew Aubrey (Ospreys), Michael Hale (Blues), Dan Jones (Scarlets), Luke Price (Ospreys), Owen Watkin (Ospreys), Joe Gage (Ospreys), James Whittingham (Blues), Shaun Pearce (Scarlets), Elis-Wyn Benham (Coleg y Cymoedd), Jordan Roberts (Scarlets), Morgan Williams (RGC)
Forwards: Kieron Assirratti (Blues), Robert Lewis (Blues), Harrison Walsh (Ospreys), Keagan Bale (Dragons), Liam Belcher (Blues), Dafydd Hughes (Scarlets), Joe Jones (Blues), Matthew Dodd (Ospreys), Seb Davies (Blues), Calum Haggett (Blues), Tom Phillips (Scarlets), Harrison Keddie (Dragons), Shaun Evans (Scarlets), Jon Fox (Ospreys), Josh Middleton (Scarlets / Coleg Sir Gar / Kidwelly)
2013
Backs: Steff Evans (Scarlets), Ashton Hewitt (Dragons), Aled Summerhill (Cardiff Blues), Garyn Smith (Cardiff Blues), Josh Adams (Scarlets), Angus O’Brien ( Dragons), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues), Luke Price (Ospreys), Joe Thomas (Ospreys), Dan Jones (Scarlets), Dan Brooks (Ospreys), Tyler Morgan (Dragons)
Forwards: Keagan Bale(Dragons), Torin Myhill (Scarlets), Alex Jeffreys (Dragons), Josh Helps (Scarlets), Rory Thornton (Ospreys), Tom Phillips (Scarlets), Ollie Griffiths (Dragons), Jordan Collier (Ospreys), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Leon Crump (Cardiff Blues), Javan Sebastian (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Jon Fox (Ospreys), Oliver Hitchings (Cardiff Blues), Luke Garrett (Dragons)
2012
Backs: Connor Lloyd (Scarlets), Joel Raikes (Blues), Jack Maynard (Scarlets), Ryan Evans (Ospreys), Craig Woodall (Scarlets), Steffan Hughes (Scarlets), Ben Roberts (Ospreys), Dafydd Howells (Ospreys), Ashley Evans (Ospreys), Hallam Amos (Dragons), Dion Jones (Scarlets)
Forwards: Callum Lewis (Blues), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Nicky Thomas (Ospreys), Jack Dunning (Blues), Alex Jeffries (Dragons), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Thomas Ball (Scarlets), Ethan Lewis (Blues), Josh Helps (Scarlets), Lance Randell (Dragons), James Sheeky (Blues), Scott Matthews (Dragons), Sion Bennett (Scarlets), Joe Tomlin-Reeves (Ospreys), James Benjamin (Dragons), Benjamin Roach (Blues)
Wales Under 18 in South Africa – P21 W8 D2 L11
August 2018
Wales U18 40 – 43 SA Schools
Wales U18 26 – 20 England U18
Wales U18 7 – 52 France U18
August 2017
Wales U18 30 – 28 SA Schools
Wales U18 14 – 12 England U18
Wales U18 19 – 31 France U18
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
