After two wins from three during the U18 Six Nations in Wales earlier this year, Horsman and his coaching team have sought to build on that success. “That’s been a huge focus in the last couple of weeks, both on and off the field,” says the former international tighthead. “We want to promote more self-driven, self-reliant players.”
“We’ve definitely come to South Africa with intentions to perform well and get victories like we did last year, but ultimately this is a player pathway: it’s not just about how we develop the team, but it’s important how we develop the individuals.”
During last year’s series, Wales headed into the final match against France having claimed victories over South Africa and England. Rather than view the match as the chance for a clean sweep, however, the Wales coaches handed opportunities to players who hadn’t yet featured significantly on tour. Wales may have lost the game, but a raft of new players had gained invaluable experience of international age grade rugby.
“It’s a pathway, not a cul-de-sac,” is how Horsman describes it. “It’s crucial that we as management challenge the players in more than just a rugby sense. The opposition will challenge them on the field, but as coaches we create an environment where they’re not spoon-fed.”
Managing day sheets, determining dress codes, timings – the coaches expect the players to do these things. “They’re deciding what to do with their free time as well; we’re not telling them what to do,” he elaborates. “They’re driving the analysis meetings, but it’s all supported by us and we make sure it’s all relevant.”
On the field, the expectations are clear. “We have three goals coming out here: one is workrate; the second is toughness; and the third is to impose our game. When you get down to the technical, tactical areas it’s a bit more in-depth, but those are the three non-negotiables we’ve worked on and hopefully we’ll see them on Friday.”
South Africa Schools v Wales U18 will be streamed live at 15:00 BST on the S4C website and the S4C Facebook Live page.
