 Sam Warburton will bolster Wales' back-row effort |
Blues Academy back-rower Sam Warburton will skipper Wales' 26-man squad in June's Junior World Championship after missing the Six Nations through injury. Fellow Blues Luke Ford and Dan Franks are also named by coach Patrick Horgan after finger and shoulder injuries. Seven of the squad have played senior rugby this season. Wales face France, Italy and Japan in Swansea in Pool D of the inaugural 16 nation tournament, with other groups in Cardiff, Wrexham and Newport.  | 606: DEBATE |
The Under-20s competition, a replacement for the International Rugby Board's Under-21 and Under-19 World Championships, will be covered by BBC Wales television and runs from 6-22 June. Wales are fourth seeds for the tournament after reaching the semi-finals of last season's U19 World Championship. "We are all absolutely excited at the prospect of competing in this tournament, especially as host nation," said Horgan. "In the end, we were able to select from a position of relative strength with the returns to fitness and form of some of last season's top performers. "Sam is a talismanic leader both on and off the field and did a fantastic job as Wales U19 captain last season. | We didn't lose a home game during the Six Nations so hopefully we will build on that record Wales U20 coach Patrick Horgan |
"He has been in exceptional form for Glamorgan Wanderers and, although it is disappointing to lose Nic Cudd through injury, the returns of Sam Warburton and Dan Franks will boost our back-row efforts." Wales will play their Pool matches at the Liberty Stadium, starting with Italy on 6 June, followed by Japan on 10 June and France on 14 June in a bid to reach the last four. Horgan is confident of the ability of his side, but fully aware of the task ahead. "We beat both Italy and France in the recent U20 Six Nations, but we are fully aware that this tournament will provide new challenges from both sides," he said. "Italy are no mugs and proved a handful for every team in the Six Nations, while France have some class players. "Hopefully, we will play France on 14 June for a winner-takes-all place in the semi-finals. "There will be a lot of pressure on the players and management during this 'home' tournament but it's a good pressure. "We didn't lose a home game during the Six Nations so hopefully we will build on that record at the Liberty Stadium in order to progress to the semis and beyond."
Wales Under 20 squad for IRB Junior World Championship: Backs: Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Gareth Williams (Ospreys), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Gareth Owen (Ospreys), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Williams (Scarlets), Luke Ford (Blues), Jimmy Norris (Dragons), Nathan Rees (Blues), Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), Daniel Evans (Scarlets), Jason Tovey (Dragons) Forwards: Sam Hobbs (Blues), Ryan Bevington (Ospreys), Scott Andrews (Blues), Patrick Palmer (Blues), Ryan Prosser (Bristol), Rhys Lawrence (Ospreys), Jevon Groves (Blues), Haydn Pugh (Scarlets), Ashley Sweet (Dragons), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Lloyd Phillips (Scarlets), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets), Sam Warburton (Blues, capt), Dan Franks (Blues) BBC Wales and S4C are joint host broadcasters of the tournament. Coverage details as follows: Live Matches (Unless highlighted as red button only, all matches are available on both analogue and digital channels) June 6: Wales v Italy (19:10) BBC Wales June 10: Wales v Japan (19:10) BBC Wales & New Zealand v Ireland (21:10) S4C June 14: Australia v England (15:00) BBC (red button) & Wales v France (17:00) S4C June 18: 1st Pool C v 1st Pool B (19:00) BBC Wales & 1st Pool A v 1st Pool D (21:10) S4C June 22: Third place play-off (17:00) and IRB Junior World Championship Final (19:00) both S4C
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