Only once in the U20 Six Nations has a Welsh team won on French soil, a 27-13 triumph in Clermont Auvergne, and they have only been four wins in 17 games at this level. Ellis Jenkins captained the team 12 years ago and had other future senior caps alongside him in Sam Davies, Rhodri Williams, Cory Allen, Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee and Gareth Thomas.
That side went on to beat New Zealand at the Junior World Championship and reach the final against England.
It has never been easy to win on the other side of the channel for any Welsh team. Back in 1993, when Lindsay Harvey’s then Wales U21 side triumphed 25-20 in Vannes, it was the first win at any level by a Welsh team in nine seasons.
Ellis Jenkins captained the only Wales U20 team to win in France in 2013
That team, coached by Steve Williams and Paul Evans, had previously beaten Holland U23 in their two-match end of season tour. Matthew Wintle, Andrew Lewis, Paul Young and Rob Appleyard all went on to play for the Wales senior side.
France U21 v Wales U21 programme in 1993 – with a very confused Welsh line-up!
There are some other famous wins in France at U21 level, with some big-name players making an impact. In 2003, Gavin Henson kicked seven penalties to steer Wales U21 to a 21-16 win in Nimes to help secure a Grand Slam.
That side boasted no fewer than 11 future senior internationals, with Henson graduating to a senior Grand Slam with Wales in 2005. Two years later, it was Matthew Jones who held his nerve to kick the winning penalty in a 20-19 thriller in Aurillac that was part of another Grand Slam campaign.
Jones went on to play at outside half for Wales and he had a host of famous teammates around him that day in Alun Wyn Jones and Ian Evans in the second row, and Aled Brew and Chris Czekaj on the wings.
Beddall’s boys face an uphill challenge, but he can’t wait to get stuck into the championship.
“We are feeling really positive, training has been good and the mindset of the team is very good going into Saturday. We will be going into every game looking to get a result and that starts against France,” said Beddall.
“We want to start off big and it is a massive opportunity for us this weekend going to France to play in a sold-out stadium. It doesn’t get any bigger than that and as a group we are really excited and want to take the opportunity.
“It is going to be a big physical battle, and the set-piece will be huge. We aim to go at them there.
“We ended last year’s Six Nations on a high with a win over Italy and we want to build on that. We’ve got a number of players back for another year and the players from the successful U18 side of last season have come up to push us all and add their quality.”
SOME FAMOUS WALES U21 / U20 WINS IN FRANCE
22 May, 1993: France U21 20 – 25 Wales U21 in Vannes
Wales U21: Nick Stork (Loughborough); Richard Rees (Tumble), Matthew Wintle (Llanelli), Iestyn Lewis (Bath), Josh Reynolds (Neath); Chris John (Cardiff), David Weatherly (Swansea); Andrew Lewis (Cardiff), Paul Young (Llanelli), Stuart Price (Llanharan), Rhodri Jones (Tenby), Lindsay Harvey (Maesteg, captain), Rob Appleyard (Swansea), Chris Brown (Cardiff Institute), Paul Jones (Llanelli)
Rep Used: Mark Glover (Neath) for AppleyardScorers: Try: Richard Rees; Con: Chris John; Pens: Chris John 5; DG: Chris John
29 March, 2003: France U21 16 – 21 Wales U21 in NimesWales U21: Gareth Swales (Swansea); Will Kershaw-Nayor (Bristol), James Vaughton (Swansea), Gavin Henson (Swansea), Matthew Nuthall (Pontypridd); Nicky Robinson (Cardiff), Mike Phillips (Llanelli); Paul James (Neath, captain), Huw Bennett (Swansea), Rhys Thomas (Newport), Bryn Griffiths (Llanelli), Jonathan Thomas (Swansea), Mark Lewis (Pontypridd), Richie Pugh (Swansea), James Malpas (Cardiff)
Reps: John Yapp (Cardiff), James Goode (Cardiff), Keiron Crawford (Ebbw Vale), Gareth Delve (Bath), Ricky Richards (Neath), John Lewis (Llanelli), Nathan Brew (Newport)Scorers: Pens: Gavin Henson 7
25 February, 2005: France U21 19 – 20 Wales U21 in Aurillac
Wales U21: Ricky Williams (Newport); Aled Brew (Ospreys), Gavin Evans (Scarlets), Tom Riley (Pontypridd), Chris Czekaj (Cardiff); Matthew Jones (Ospreys), Wayne Evans (Carmarthen Quins); Scott Roberts (Bridgend), Duane Goodfield (Pontypridd), Cai Griffiths (Neath), Alun Wyn Jones (Swansea), Ian Evans (Neath/Ospreys), Chris Davies (Bridgend), James Merriman (Hartpury College/Gloucester, captain), Jonathan Mills (Scarlets)
Reps Used: Dafydd Hewitt (Cardiff) for Riley 13; Rhodri McAtee (Penzance) for W Evans 64; Tom Smith (Neath) for Davies 65; Phil Osbourne (Cardiff) for S Roberts 7Scorers: Tries: Aled Brew, Jonathan Mills; Cons: Matthew Jones 2; Pens: Matthew Jones 210 February, 2013: France U20 13 – 27 Wales U20 in Clermont Auvergne
Wales U20: Dion Jones (Scarlets); Ashton Hewitt (Dragons), Cory Allen (Blues), Steff Hughes (Scarlets), Ashley Evans (Ospreys); Sam Davies (Ospreys), Rhodri Williams (Scarlets); Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Nicky Thomas (Ospreys), Carwyn Jones (Scarlets), Rhodri Hughes (Ospreys), Sion Bennett (Scarlets), Dan Thomas (Scarlets), Ellis Jenkins (Blues, captain)
Reps: Ethan Lewis (Blues), Gareth Thomas (Scarlets), Dan Suter (Ospreys), Jack Jones (Ospreys), James Benjamin (Dragons), Josh Davies (Dragons), Jordan Williams (Scarlets), Tom Pascoe (Blues)Scorers: Tries: Cory Allen, Rhodri Williams, Sion Bennett; Cons: Sam Davies 3; Pen: Sam Davies; DG: Sam Davies
