The two teams will meet twice to give Beddall and co a stiff work out before they take the field at Stade de la Rabine in Vannes in front of a full house of more than 11,000 fans.
The 19-year-old Beddall launched his rugby journey in the St Peter’s U7s team and moved from Cardiff High School to Hartpury at 16. He captained Wales to victory over Italy at the end of the last Six Nations campaign and is also a veteran of the 2024 World Rugby U20 Junior Championship in South Africa.
He won six caps last year and says he picked up plenty of tips from Dragons ace Ryan Woodman on leadership during his time in the squad.
“There are a lot of boys I played with last year and through the regions in the Academies XV, so it is going to be a very competitive game,” said Beddall.
“We’re looking to them to bring a bit of physicality into the contests to help us prepare for the games against France and Italy.
“There are a few players in the U23 squad who were with us last year and who will be going all out to prove a point against us. But these two games are also big opportunities for all the U20 players to win a starting place against France.
“We’re looking to build combinations across these two games and to test ourselves against a heavier, older and more physical side.”
For Beddall himself, the Friday night clash at the Arms Park will not only see him come back to play in his home city, but also go head-to-head with another former St Peter’s product, Lucas de la Rua. They played together last year, but now face off against each other.
“It will be great competition playing against Lucas, who I played with last year. I’ve never really played against him, we’ve always been teammates up until now, so I’m looking forward to going up against him,” said Beddall.
“We’ve had two trial games against Scotland and since then the squad has been cut a little bit to help us train towards these two matches. It’s important that those of us who have played for Wales U20 before pass on our experience to the players coming into the squad for the first time.
“We’ve been told it is going to be a sell-out in Vannes, so it will be good for us all to have gone through our pre-match routines in these two trial games to help get us properly prepared.”
The second game is at Church Bank, Llandovery on Friday, 17 January with a 7.30pm kick-off.
Reps: Evan Wood (Cardiff Met), Harrison Bellamy (Gloucester), Owain James (Dragons), Deian Gwynne (Gloucester), Caio James (Gloucester), Sion Davies (Cardiff Rugby), Harri Ford (Dragons), Osian Darwin Lewis (Cardiff Rugby), Iorie Badham (Scarlets)
