Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
Welsh Rugby Union
  • 06/12/2024
Transcript
00:00We've got two games against what will be a Welsh Academy's under-23s and really
00:04pleased with the collaboration with the regions. They've set up and given
00:08us an opportunity to get a couple of fixtures against some real tough
00:12opposition. So players from the regions, top performers from the SRC and
00:17hopefully some players in and around some of our exile players. We'll
00:22make up a representative team of under-23 age age group to play against
00:27the 20s in their warm-up for the Six Nations. So yeah, awesome
00:31collaboration from everyone involved. The two games, lucky enough we've got one
00:35game at Cardiff Arms Park on the 10th of January and then the following Friday
00:40on the 17th of Jan we're down at Landovery on the new 4G. So awesome
00:45for us to get a couple of home games and an opportunity for our 20s
00:48boys to put their hand up to obviously get selected for those early games
00:52against France and Italy and a great way for the guys that are out of 20s in
00:56that 23s team to keep putting their hand up for more regional and national
01:02selections. We put the fixtures together for two reasons. One, obviously we
01:06wanted a really strong opposition for the under-20s. We wanted to play an
01:10older team and to prepare us for some physical tests early in the Six
01:15Nations against France and Italy, both away games. But also we wanted an
01:20opportunity for those players that are out of 20s age to still put a Welsh
01:25shirt on, understand that they're still well within the pathway, that the
01:29national selectors are still looking at them and put their hands up for
01:32regional and further honours. It's really good collaboration from the
01:36regions and all four regions have provided coaches and backroom
01:41staff for the under-23s management team. It will be headed up by Gareth
01:45Williams from the Scarlets and like I say, every region is involved
01:50in the set-up. I've loved the year. We've put some really good processes
01:54in place. The WPP player programme has been working really well. We're
02:00getting a lot more touch points with our players. Players are playing week
02:04in, week out. So going to watch the SRC games, it's a handful of players
02:08every single time. It's been an enjoyable three months planning,
02:13prepping, but I'm excited that we're now into game mode.