By Gareth James
Wales U20s scrum-half Archie Hughes has signed a new contract with the Scarlets.
Having started his rugby journey with Tenby RFC juniors, Hughes burst onto the senior stage with two tries on his debut in a pre-season game against Nottingham at Parc y Scarlets two years ago.
The 20-year-old made his URC debut against the Cell C Sharks in Durban last year and played in two league games during the 2022-23 season.
He was Wales’ first-choice nine for the U20s Six Nations and has been named in Mark Jones’s squad for the U20s World Championships in South Africa later this month.
Hughes will challenge Wales senior internationals Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy for the No. 9 jersey at the Scarlets next season.
✍️ A new contract for Archie!
The Wales U20s scrum-half is one to watch for next season ⚡
Archie Hughes yn ymestyn ei gytundeb gyda’r Scarlets
Story https://t.co/aiEzNSkPRA#YmaOHyd #nextgeneration #ygenhedlaethnesaf pic.twitter.com/zfFE8FKD4c
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) June 8, 2023
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: “Anyone who watched Wales U20s in the Six Nations will be excited by Archie’s potential.
“He is a sharp runner with a good service and always looking to learn off the international nines we have at the club.
“He works hard on his game in training and we are all looking forward to seeing how he progresses in the coming season.”
Hughes said: “It has been great training with the senior squad for the last couple of years and being able to learn off Dwayne, himself a Wales and Lions scrum-half, and the likes of Gareth and Kieran has been fantastic for my development.
“It was a proud moment to make my URC debut in South Africa and hopefully I can push on and get some more appearances under my belt this season.”
| @ben_jaycock
Archie Hughes is looking to show the Scarlets and the world what he can do at the U20s World Championship later this month in South Africahttps://t.co/h6tpFuajo7— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) June 7, 2023
