08.03.19 - Scotland Under 20 v Wales Under 20 - U20s 6 Nations Championship - Jac Morgan of Wales makes a break.

Can Wales under-20s bounce back from a shaky 2019?

Team take on Italy tonight with plenty to prove in the new campaign

Captain Jac Morgan makes a break during last year’s Six Nations – Credit: Welsh Rugby Union

WALES under-20s look to kick off their Six Nations campaign with a good performance against Italy tonight after a shaky 2019.

They will take heart from the fact that last outing, they beat the Italians 42-12 after a hat-trick by Dragons flanker Taine Basham.

It was a rare highlight of a year which included a fourth place Six Nations campaign and failing to make it into Pool A from a difficult World Championship group./ They lost out to Argentina, and France who went on to win the tournament.

Jac Morgan, who made his debut for the Scarlets in November, is captain.  Morgan looked strong in last year’s U20 World Championships despite the Welsh performance.

Morgan returns to the side alongside Aneurin Owen, Ben Warren, Ioan Davies, Jac Price, Sam Costelow and Dafydd Buckland.

They will be bolstered by the relative experience of the seven returning players, while most of the team is comprised of last year’s under-18s.

“Jac [Morgan] has just kicked on, he did superbly in the World Cup last year and he has taken his opportunity at the Scarlets and it is great to see,” said former Wales international and current head coach Gareth Williams.

Although they didn’t make it far in the competition, they achieved wins against Argentina, Fiji and New Zealand, who they beat by one point.

They will look to build on that on the north coast in Colwyn Bay tonight, at a ground which Williams has praised the atmosphere and facilities.

ClubsNumber of Players
Scarlets8 (9)
Dragons8
Ospreys6
Cardiff Blues5
Cardiff Met1
Millfield School1   
Leicester Tigers1 (0)
Bath1  
Worcester1  
Bristol1  

(Leicester player Sam Costelow is due to move to the Scarlets at the end of the current season)

The game is a 7.35pm kick-off and can be viewed live on S4C.