Sport

Wales U20 name exciting Six Nations squad

Published

7 years ago

January 18, 2018

HEAD coach Jason Strange has named a Wales U20 squad full of the brightest young talent for this year’s U20 Six Nations.

There are places in the squad for two exciting 17-year-old scrum-halves: Dragons’ Dan Babos, who has regularly featured for the Gwent region this season, and Harri Morgan of Ospreys, a try-scorer in the Wales U18 victory against England last year.

“What’s good about this squad is that there are quite a lot of competitive areas,” says Strange. “We’ve got fierce competition in the half-backs, while the back row is also a position of strength.”

Another notable inclusion is wing Tomi Lewis – one of 16 of last season’s U18 players included in today’s squad – who gained plaudits for his exceptional debut for Wales Sevens in the World Series in Dubai last month.

RGC tighthead Sam Wainwright could also be in line to make his debut in front of his home crowd at Colwyn Bay against Scotland on Friday 2nd February. “Sam’s played for RGC for the last 12-18 months in the Premiership,” Strange says. “For a tighthead he will have taken a great deal of experience from that, and he’s playing really well at the moment.”

Wales will use the U20 Six Nations as an opportunity to increase their depth in preparation for this year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in France, whilst also benefiting from the return of several players who featured in last year’s tournaments.

“A number of these players will go back to play for their regions during the Six Nations, which is always the case,” says Strange. “That’s something which will allow other players a chance, and it’s one of the reasons why we’ve named a large squad.”

Crucially, Strange and his assistant coaches, Chris Horsman and Geraint Lewis, maintain the attacking mindset which has been a hallmark of the Wales U20s in the past few seasons. Unsurprisingly, it is a mindset that is cultivated at U18 level by that very same coaching group.

“That attacking philosophy is really important,” he says. “It’s the way we want to develop our players in Wales – for them to play with flair, allowing them to express themselves as much as possible.”

The coaches were heartened by this week’s national squad announcement, with 80% of the players a graduate of the U20 programme. “That’s how we judge our success,” explains Strange. “It’s the number one area of focus: how many players go on to be named in the national squad.”

Wales U20 Six Nations squad:

Forwards: Taine Basham (Dragons), James Botham (Cardiff Blues), Rhys Carre (Cardiff Blues), Dan Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Davies (Bath), Lennon Greggains (Dragons), Will Griffiths (Dragons), Iestyn Harris (Cardiff Blues), Rhys Henry (Ospreys), Morgan Jones (Scarlets), Will Jones (Ospreys), Dewi Lake (Ospreys), Alun Lawrence (Cardiff Blues), Kemsley Mathias (Scarlets), Morgan Morris (Ospreys), Jack Pope (Bridgend), Tommy Reffell (Leicester), Josh Reynolds (Dragons), Sam Wainwright (RGC), Max Williams (Dragons).

Backs: Dan Babos (Dragons), Corey Baldwin (Scarlets), Callum Carson (Ospreys), Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets), Rio Dyer (Dragons), Cai Evans (Ospreys), Joe Goodchild (Dragons), Aaron Hemmings (Scarlets), Ben Jones (Cardiff Blues), Tomi Lewis (Scarlets), Harri Morgan (Ospreys), Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), Ioan Nicholas (Scarlets), Carwyn Penny (Gloucester), Tommy Rogers (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Cardiff Blues).

Sport

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association: Week 14 Results

Published

16 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Herald Sport

THE SOUTH Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association, also known as “The Friendly League,” has released the results for Week 14 of the competition.

Match Results

Hundleton 8 v Badgers 2
Llanteg 2 v St Johns 8
Reynalton 8 v St Twynnells 2
East Williamston 8 v Carew 2

The match between Cosheston and Kilgetty was postponed, while Lamphey had the bye.

League Table (Week 14)

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	S/D	Points
East Williamston	12	11	0	1	167	92
Carew	12	8	1	3	111	79
Reynalton	12	8	0	4	48	70
Hundleton	13	7	0	6	61	68
St Johns	11	8	0	3	76	66
Cosheston	11	6	0	5	33	54
Llanteg	11	3	1	7	-29	51
St Twynnells	13	3	1	9	-125	48
Badgers	11	3	1	7	6	45
Kilgetty	11	3	0	8	-129	40
Lamphey	11	2	0	9	-142	29

For further details or any inquiries, please contact Steve Cox, League Fixtures Secretary.

Sport

Manderwood Pembs Football League – Div 1: Tenby and Hakin continue title charges

Published

16 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Herald Sport

Hakin United edge Carew in tight contest
Carew 0 – Hakin United 2

Hakin United kept the pressure on league leaders Goodwick United with a gritty 2-0 victory over Carew at the Gerald Hicks Memorial Ground. The second-placed Vikings remain firmly in the title race, poised to capitalize on any slip-ups by Goodwick.

The game was settled in the first half, with Ryan Wilson breaking the deadlock in the 15th minute. The Hakin captain connected with a pinpoint Shane Walsh cross to score from close range. Hakin doubled their advantage on the stroke of halftime when Wilson turned provider. He set up Alfie Stotter, who unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike that soared into the roof of Jack Harries’ net.

Despite Carew’s determined second-half efforts, there were no further goals, and Hakin secured their thirteenth win of the season.

Goodwick United narrowly beat Merlins Bridge
Goodwick United 1 – Merlins Bridge 0

Goodwick United clinched a vital 1-0 victory over Merlins Bridge in a hard-fought encounter at Phoenix Park. Although Goodwick dominated possession and created multiple chances, poor finishing meant they had to battle for the win.

The decisive moment came in the 29th minute when Luke Hayward’s well-delivered corner found Matty Delaney, who headed the ball into the net from close range. Goodwick struck the woodwork several times during the match, but their single goal proved enough to secure all three points.

Goodwick will be looking to sharpen their finishing ahead of their West Wales Intermediate Cup clash with Cwmamman United next Saturday.

Tenby too strong for Herbrandston
Herbrandston 0 – Tenby 10

Tenby United delivered a commanding 10-0 victory over bottom-placed Herbrandston in a one-sided affair. The visitors controlled proceedings from the outset, leading 3-0 at halftime before adding seven more goals in the second half.

Scott Ferney opened the scoring, followed by strikes from captain Daniel Storer and Jerome Williams. After the break, Ned Davies, Joe Leahy, and Ferney extended the lead, with Ferney netting his second consecutive hat-trick. Leahy added another to complete his brace, before Ferney scored his third to make it 8-0. Rhys Morgan and Jacob Hipkiss rounded off the rout with late goals.

The emphatic win keeps Tenby climbing the table, while Herbrandston remain without a point this season.

Sport

Crymych’s slow start costs them against Ammanford

Published

16 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Herald Sport

Championship Division

Crymych 5 – Ammanford 21

CRYMYCH’S battle to stay in the Championship Division continues as they fell to a 21-5 defeat against Ammanford, who secured a season double over their opponents. A sluggish first half left Crymych trailing too far behind to recover despite an improved second-half performance.

Ammanford’s powerful pack and cohesive backs dominated early on, running in three tries in the first half. Full-back Gareth Rees converted all three to establish a commanding 21-0 lead at the break. Crymych managed a single unconverted try in the second half through replacement winger Hedd George but could not close the gap further.

This defeat marks Crymych’s 11th loss of the season, leaving them in ninth place and in danger of being drawn into the relegation battle. While they remain outside the bottom two, their struggles with slow starts and fundamental errors must be addressed urgently.

Crymych’s upcoming fixtures will be crucial, with the team needing to improve their defensive discipline and sharpen their attack to secure their Championship Division status. The pressure is mounting as the season progresses.

Man of the match was Marco Dallavalle pictured above