• Home
  • Rugby
  • Wales Us Have Big Chance To Shine, Says Coach Richie Pugh

Wales U18s Have Big Chance To Shine, Says Coach Richie Pugh

Wales Under 18s head coach Richie Pugh has named his squad to take part in a Men’s U18 Development week involving teams from Italy, Scotland and hosts Ireland this week in Clongowes Wood College and the IRFU High Performance Centre. “It’s the start of our programme, it’s a repeat of last year when we hosted Ireland, Italy and Scotland, but this time it’s in Ireland for what is our first touch point with the boys,” said Pugh.

By David Parsons

Wales Under 18s head coach Richie Pugh has named his squad to take part in a Men’s U18 Development week involving teams from Italy, Scotland and hosts Ireland this week in Clongowes Wood College and the IRFU High Performance Centre.

“It’s the start of our programme, it’s a repeat of last year when we hosted Ireland, Italy and Scotland, but this time it’s in Ireland for what is our first touch point with the boys,” said Pugh.

“The boys are coming in from some good work with the regions and the schools and colleges and with a couple of players from across the border, so it’s an early selection and a good opportunity for the boys to showcase what they are about and a chance to introduce them to the U18s programme as we look forward to another good season culminating in a Six Nations at Easter.

https://twitter.com/WelshRugbyUnion/status/1819342708483232136

With a handful of players returning from last season, Pugh said it will be the first bit of exposure against quality international opposition for a lot of the squad so the coaching team are eager to see how the boys progress.

“It’s going to be a great week on the outskirts of Dublin and we’re very much looking forward as coaches to getting a first look at the boys,” added Pugh.

“We want to challenge the boys, we want them to be exposed to what the international environment is all about. We want to see how they act and react to that situation. There are a lot of boys new to this level so it’s about how we bond together and how we help each other through that challenge.”

https://twitter.com/Saintsrfcyouth/status/1818684431831646382

Wales U18 Men’s development squad

Forwards

Dylan Baratt (Cardiff Rugby)
Sam Bryant (Gloucester)
Tiehi Chatham (Dragons RFC)
Ruben Cummings (Gloucester)
Nathan Davies (Scarlets)
Thomas Howe (Cardiff Rugby)
Kai Jones (Scarlets)
Dom Kossuth (Scarlets)
Sonny McCabe (Cardiff Rugby)
Alfie Prygodzicz (Cardiff Rugby)
Gruff Roberts (Ospreys)
Joe Ryder (RGC)
Cerrig Smith (Dragons RFC)
Noah Williams (Ospreys)
Osian Williams (Bristol Rugby)
Sam Williams (Scarlets)

BACKS

Tyler Davies (Scarlets)
Calen Edwards (Cardiff Rugby)
Ben Evans (Ospreys)
Tomos Evans (Gloucester)
William Ford (Dragons RFC)
Jack Harrison (Bath Rugby)
Thomas Incledon (Exiles)
Carwyn Jones (Scarlets)
Lloyd Lucas (Cardiff Rugby)
Osian Llewelyn (RGC)
Will Moore (Bristol Rugby)
David Petrescu (Dragons RFC)
Carter Pritchard (Dragons RFC)
Harry Turner (Cardiff Rugby)
Luca Woodyatt (Gloucester)

U18 International Development Week 2024 – Fixtures

All teams will play 3 conditioned matches on the 9th August 2024 in the IRFU National High Performance Centre

Match 1 – U18 Ireland Development vs. U18 Wales – 11.30am
Match 2 – U18 Ireland Development vs. U18 Scotland – 13.15pm
Match 3 – U18 Ireland Development vs. U18 Italy – 14.45pm

Related News

Wales players were left dejected after another record defeat.  Pic: Alamy

Wales Set More Unwanted Records . . . As France Storm a Broken and Abandoned Capital

It was not as bad as some had feared . . . just the highest number of points conceded by Wales against France, as Graham Thomas reports.

Graham Thomas | 2 hours ago
Wales coach Steve Tandy. Pic: Alamy

Back-to-Back Record Defeats for Wales . . . But Steve Tandy Insists It's Progress

Steve Tandy has insisted Wales are edging forward despite another bruising, record-breaking Six Nations setback.

Graham Thomas | 2 hours ago
Wales No.10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones. Pic: Alamy

Deian Gwynne Insists Wales can Turn More Heartbreak into Six Nations Wins

Wales U20s star Deian Gwynne insists his team can recover from their second successive heart-breaking late Six Nations defeat.

Rob Cole | 9 hours ago
Evan Minto of Wales U20s. Pic. Alamy

Richard Whiffin Urges Fans to Back the Welsh Team Most Likely to Cause a Shock This Weekend . . . Wales U20s

Richard Whiffin has urged supporters to turn Cardiff Arms Park into a cauldron on Saturday night and back his Wales U20 team to a shock victory.

Paul Jones | Feb 14, 2026
Wales head coach Steve Tandy. Pic. Alamy

Steve Tandy Plans to Bring in New Defence Coach For Wales . . . in the Summer

Wales coach Steve Tandy plans to bring in a new defence coach to plug his leaky defence – but not until the summer.

Graham Thomas | Feb 13, 2026
Nicky Smith gets the first of Wales' four yellow cards. Pic: Alamy

Les Miserables . . . Wales Odds for France are Game for a Laugh

Wales fans are being urged to see the funny side of their team’s current Six Nations woes, with bookmaker DragonBet offering “Les Miserable” specials ahead of Sunday’s clash against France.

David Williams | Feb 13, 2026