{"id":19005,"date":"2017-03-14T15:59:26","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T15:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=19005"},"modified":"2017-03-14T15:59:26","modified_gmt":"2017-03-14T15:59:26","slug":"five-wales-u20s-make-senior-debuts-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/14\/five-wales-u20s-make-senior-debuts-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Wales U20s who could make their senior debuts this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

THERE is always something else going on in international rugby. <\/span>
\nWhile the eyes of everyone in Wales have been firmly fixed on the fate of the men\u2019s national team and their stuttering Six Nations campaign, the women\u2019s and U20s sides have been having strong tournaments in their own right. <\/span>
\nAlthough the U20s couldn\u2019t add to the Grand Slam of 2016, losing to England in week two, Jason Strange\u2019s side have won their other three matches with ease, scoring 13 tries in their last two games. The title is now beyond them, but they will finish second with a win away to France in the final week. <\/span>
\nThat match will wrap up competitive U20s action for a lot of these players, meaning they can start to focus on their professional careers, breaking into the starting XV for their regions and, eventually, the national team. <\/span>
\nFor some, the opportunity to play for the senior side could come quicker than expected. Over the summer, Britain and Ireland\u2019s best and brightest will head to New Zealand for the Lions tour. Rugby fans will lap up the chance to witness the combined might of the British isles take on the world\u2019s greatest rugby team on their own patch. <\/span>
\nBut as the first line of this article says, there is always something else going on in international rugby. <\/span>
\nIreland are touring Japan, Scotland are facing Australia, England are going to Argentina. <\/span>
\nWales? They are going to the South Pacific to take on Tonga and Samoa. <\/span>
\nAlthough these mid-year tours lack the glamour of trips to the southern hemisphere in non-Lions years, they do present unique opportunities for the home nations to experiment and gives them the chance to find new talent for the international scene. With the World Cup just two years away, it is not a chance which should be passed up lightly. <\/span>
\nWales have been severely criticised since the last world cup for failing to blood new talent – only three new names have pulled on the red jersey since the 2015 tournament, the lowest of any tier one nation – so this tour provides them with the perfect conditions to buck the trend of the Gatland\/Howley era. <\/span>
\nDefence coach Shaun Edwards said yesterday: \u201cThe time for blooding players is definitely on the summer tour.\u201d <\/span>
\nWe should definitely expect to see some new names, then. <\/span>
\nSome players are shoe-ins for debuts. Keelan Giles sat on the bench against Japan in the autumn without coming on. Steff Evans has been in the 24-man squad for the entire Six Nations but is yet to win his first cap. Thomas Young and Olly Cracknell have been excellent at club level this season and are also fully deserving of a chance. <\/span>
\nMuch depends on how many fully-fledged internationals go on the Lions tour, but there will be ample opportunity for some of the best performers from the U20s to earn themselves a place on the plane and get some game time for their national team. <\/span>
\nHere are the five names most likely to make the accelerated step to the national team this summer: <\/span>
\nKeiron Assiratti (Blues)<\/b>
\n

\"10.02.17