‘We are here to identify talent, polish it, promote it and give it the best chance to flourish’

The postponement of the Italian tournament, scheduled to run from 28 June to 18 July, will now give the cream of Welsh rugby’s age-group talent time to fully immerse themselves in a full pre-season with their regions to challenge and physically develop themselves.

The Welsh squad were due to face Australia, New Zealand and Georgia in the biggest competition of their careers to date. The pandemic also wiped-out the Wales U18 Six Nations campaign and has left their proposed trip to South Africa in August hanging in the balance.

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But Williams, who is in charge of the development and welfare of all players Under 23 in Wales, has urged all his youngsters to make the most of the extended training period they will now experience and to hit the ground running next season.

“The players have all come to terms with the disappointment of missing out on representing their country at a major tournament and have been very mature about it. I’ve been in contact with them all and told them to use this summer wisely,” said Williams.

“A large number have also taken up the offer of regular catch-ups over video calls regarding some work they are undertaking in their homes under isolation. The advantage they now have is being able to participate in a full pre-season campaign at their regions.

“For a few others it will give them extra time to get over injuries to ensure they are fit and firing for next season. Given the fact the U20 tournament had been moved back a few weeks we had factored in an off season break for the players post-Six Nations, allowing them to go straight into pre-season on their return from Italy.

“That was just another small example of the collaborative approach that has been established with the regions. The players were also earmarked for a further development phase around the autumn.

“Now they will be able to join in from the start and benefit from that. Despite missing out on a fantastic playing experience, we all realise it is down to a unique set of circumstances and there are still hugely positive interventions to put in for the players.”

Despite a Six Nations campaign that saw his side lose three (Italy, Ireland and Scotland) and win two (France and England), Williams believes there is plenty of talent within the ‘Class of 2020’, but has a plea to the regions and the Welsh Premiership clubs as they begin planning for the new campaign.

Last year the season kicked-off with seven rounds of A team fixtures in the Celtic Cup but, as that is another competition yet to be confirmed, Williams is concerned about where and when many of Welsh rugby’s future stars will get the chance to play when rugby re-emerges from the current situation.

“With players of all ages and experiences set to start the season on a level playing field in terms of pre-season I hope the coaches at every level will give their youngsters a fighting chance to make their mark,” said Williams.

“The Under 20s team is a springboard for players – results aren’t everything, but performance is. The job of the coaching team is to encourage, nurture, enhance and enrich the players who come through the system.

“Our role is to play a part in preparing the cream of young Welsh rugby playing talent for a life in the professional game. For some that will lead onto full international honours, others will be good enough to play regionally and there will be a few who fall by the wayside.

“The Under 20 programme in Wales is a proven breeding ground for the international team and we are constantly assessing the standards and targets we set our players in order to stay in step with the requirements of the senior side.

“Part of my role at the WRU is to keep track of the game time and training workloads of our leading players up to Under 23. That means liaising with the regions and the age grade coaches in a bid to ensure we maximise the full potential of our playing talent.

“It isn’t an easy jig-saw to piece together because there are so many competing interests for the time of the players. Some are in school, others are in University, there are players living and playing in England, regional academy members and some playing outside that system in the Premiership clubs.

“We all want them to progress, but we don’t always all pull in the same direction. It is a big part of my job to ensure these young players get the right opportunities to learn and develop.

“Planning their playing pathway from the beginning of the season to the Six Nations campaign is tricky and a few of them came into this season’s campaign a little bit undercooked. The Celtic Cup games right at the start of the season gave them some exposure to a good level of competition, but the regions are still struggling to find the best way to give their academy players appropriate match experience.

“From my perspective, I’d have liked to have seen a few more of them getting game time at Premiership level after that. We were able to get them up to speed while they were in camp for the Six Nations, but they need as much game time as possible.

“I know it is sometimes difficult for the Premiership clubs to give young players the leg up they need, but they have a vital role to play in their development. In the end, it is an investment in their own futures as well because a number of them will end up playing in the Premiership in the future.

“We have to find the best way to promote the next generation of international, professional and semi-professional players to suit the needs of all interested parties.

“Just look at some of the stalwarts of the Premiership – Rhys Shellard, Morgan Allen, Rhys Jones, Rhys Downes, Jon Fox, Aled Thomas, Dafydd Hughes, Billy McBryde. They were all involved at Under 20 level in the past and have returned there after differing regional experiences.

“Our back row forwards, Jac Morgan (Aberavon), Morgan Strong (Bridgend) and Gwilym Bradley (Cardiff) all played in the Premiership this season and/or last. Other players have had regional exposure, like Aneurin Owen at the Dragons and Ioan Lloyd at Bristol Bears, while Ellis Bevan is in the University system at Cardiff Met.

“I’d have liked to see our tight head prop Ben Warren get a few more chances, along with Teddy Williams, but I understand the high stakes the Premiership coaches are juggling with. We just need to find the best way to meet the needs of all parties in the vital process of developing our best talent.

“But I’m a huge fan of the Premiership. My philosophy is that across Welsh rugby we have a ‘tool box’ of competitions and environments that aid player development and it is our task as coaches and administrators to identify the best option for the job on a case-by-case basis with each player.

“The Premiership can play a huge part in that and I want to work even more closely with the Premiership coaches. It is easy for me in my role with the U20s to say I want players to have more game time.

“But it is a big part of my job to also educate the players on how they need to apply themselves technically, tactically and also socially at their clubs in a bid to demand a starting position within the Premiership environment. That is definitely something I’m keen on exploring for next season.”

Having beaten host nation Argentina and New Zealand in last year’s World Rugby Under 20 championship Williams was looking forward to having another crack at the young All Blacks. So, to, was highly rated Dragons centre Owen.

“Aneurin played for less than three minutes of the opening game before an accidental clash of heads forced him out of the competition. This summer was going to be his chance to make up for that disappointment,” added Williams.

“There are other players who will miss out completely on playing at what is effectively a junior World Cup. That will be hard for them to come to terms with, but they all seem to have switched their focus pretty quickly to making a major impact at their regions once things get back to normal.

“The development pathway for the best young rugby players in Wales has been working pretty well. Very few of the players who go on to play for Wales haven’t come through the age grade process.

“We are here to identify talent, polish it, promote it and give it the best chance to flourish before moving it on to the four professional regions. We don’t deal in finished articles, we are all about giving players the chance to achieve their dreams of playing for Wales.

“To that end we are a stepping stone, a place where players can learn about what it’s like being in an international environment. They get the chance to play against the best players of their age not only in Europe, but also the world.

“It is fantastic to see how they react to those opportunities and pressures. That so many of them flourish and go all the way to the top is proof that a lot of what goes on at this level works.

“The question to ask is could we do even better? Of course we could, and therein lies the biggest challenge of all.”