Welsh fans in for a rugby treat

Teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy will join the Welsh national U18 side in an Easter rugby bonanza that will see all teams play on three match days – Saturday, 31 March (Ystrad Mynach), Wednesday, 4 April (Cardiff Arms Park) and Sunday, 8 April (Cardiff Arms Park).

The games will feature the cream of young talent from the Six Nations and the stars of future tournaments will be on display. England beat Wales 42-14 in their final pre-Festival warm-up fixture at Sardis Road last weekend, having already crushed Scotland 64-0 and lost to France.

Wales beat Scotland earlier in the month and will go on to face France, Ireland and Italy. If you look back at the games at this level in 2006, Sam Warburton captained Wales for the first time and had Leigh Halfpenny in the team alongside him.

“It is a brilliant opportunity for our young players to play against different nations and what the game against England last weekend will have done is make the Welsh players realise the standards they need to attain in terms of skill level and physicality,” said Wales U18 coach Geraint Lewis.

“The next few weeks are all about our players facing their peers from around the Six Nations to give them the impetus to kick-on with their games and to develop themselves. They showed some character after a difficult first-half against England and now can’t wait to face France at the weekend.

“England are always going to be bigger than us physically and we know the French will be bigger than us as well. That means we have to find other ways to play and ensure we do that to a high standard.

“They will take a lot out of the game against England. It was a sharp learning curve for them and now they can look forward to showing what they are all about in the next three games.”

The England head coach, John Fletcher, has been involved in the Under 18 set-up for a decade and helped to steer countless players towards full international honours. His aim is to develop players for the 2023 World Cup.

“The result of these matches isn’t significant. It is a measure, but it isn’t what matters most,” said Fletcher.

“At this age, and at this stage of the players’ development, it’s simply about learning and getting better. We want to see who will have the talent to progress through the international ranks and make it into the senior England side.

“We played well for large parts of the game at Sardis Road and a number of the side will be available for the Festival. It is going to be a magnificent opportunity for all the players involved.”

The Irish Schools XV warmed-up with a games against France in Dublin last weekend, but were without players from the top two schools in Leinster who were playing in a final. They were beaten by 39-20, and by seven tries to two, but will be stronger when they arrive in Wales.

They include Nathan Doak, son of the former Ulster scrum half and head coach Neil Doak, and Ben Murphy, who is the son Richie Murphy, Ireland’s Grand Slam winning skills and kicking coach.