Steff Emanuel is ready to go to the well one final time for Wales U20 on Friday to try to secure the highest place finish at the World Rugby Junior Championships in 13-years’.
The fifth-place final against Scotland in Tbilisi will be Emanuel’s 23rd outing over three years for the U20 side – and his last in age grade rugby before he fully graduates into the senior game.
>He has already made a number of regional appearances for Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and European competitions and was called into a Wales Senior alignment camp last season by Steve Tandy, along with U20 co-captain Deian Gwynne and Lewis Edwards.
A bright future is being predicted for the former Millfield schoolboy star, who will be among 10 Wales U20 caps aged 23 or under on Cardiff’s books next season – Cam Winnett, Matty Young, Sion Davies, Harri Wilde, Lloyd Lucas, Elijah Evans, Osian Darwin-Lewis, Tom Bowen, Rhys Cummings and Emanuel.
“The U20 programme has been massive for me. I remember getting my first cap against the All Blacks two years ago and being a nervous wreck before the game facing the Haka,” said Emanuel.
“It was an unbelievable experience and from then to now I’ve grown so much. I’m now a leader in the team and I think my leadership qualities have helped the team.
“Locking down Richard Whiffin as head coach has been excellent for us and the brand-new gym we’ve got has been unbelievable. You have to have a professional environment in which to train if you want to be the best and we are reaping the rewards from that.”
A first win over Australia since 2017 in their semi-final last weekend has given Emanuel and co the chance to make it four wins out of five at the tournament for the first time since Ellis Jenkins led Wales U20 into their only final back.
“It would be massive not only for us as a group, and for the first time since 2013, but for everyone at home as well. It would give the nation a bit of a boost,” added Emanuel.
“At the end of the Australian game I thought we’d done the typical Welsh thing and thrown it away. We should have blown them away in the first half and then had to hang on to win (38-36) in the end.
“It was a roller coaster finish, but I’m just so proud of the boys. They deserved to win and it was about time we had the rub of the green.
“I was so relieved, and I think we deserved it. It is going to be another massive challenge against the Scots on Friday in the battle for fifth place. They have come on dramatically over the past 12-18 months and picked up some great scalps along the way.
“Hopefully, it will be another great game, and we can end the campaign on a high. We know each other inside out we’ve played against each other so often. It will be a matter of mindset in the end – whoever wants to win the most will be the winners.”