Burgess, Hayward taking on new roles with Wales
FORMER Wales defence coach Byron Hayward and former Wales captain Liza Burgess have been appointed to lead the nation’s men’s and women’s under-18s and under-20s teams.
Hayward left his role as part of Wayne Pivac’s staff less than 12 months after taking the post with a shock announcement ahead of the Autumn Nations Cup last November.
But he will now lead the male agegrade programmes, returning to familiar territory having coached at U20s level in the past.
World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Burgess will lead the female age grade programme, starting on a part-time basis immediately before going fulltime in June when she leaves her coaching role at Worcester.
She will be head coach of the U18s team, which could - along with Wales’ male players - play matches this spring, and the U20s side, which gets off the ground in 2023.
Hayward said: “Having coached Wales under-20s a few years back I can’t wait to get going as when I look back on my coaching career, many of my most enjoyable times were coaching the under-20s because there’s nothing more satisfying than helping players achieve their dreams of playing for their country.
“There is something unbelievably satisfying about playing a part in a player’s journey, it’s all about helping them realise their dreams because at 19, the sky’s the limit.
“It’s going to be massively beneficial to the pathway to have a seamless transition between the under-18s and under-20s. I feel this is going to be a crucial benefit to Welsh rugby as we move forward.”
Burgess welcomed the opportunity for young girls in Wales who aspire to play international rugby to have a clear pathway right through to the senior game.
While the men’s U20s programme has been in place for a number of years, Wales Women’s lack of pathway options has been cited as one of the reasons for the senior team’s lack of competitiveness but the reinstatement of U20s and U18s will be seen as a huge positive.
“We have a blank canvas to grow the elite pathway for girls aged 16 to 20 and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in,” Burgess said.
“My first job is to speak to the regions, the WRU community team and coaches who have been delivering the skills development centres over the last couple of months and put plans in place to set up an under-18s regional and national programme.
“I’ve coached talented players for a long time, both at an academy level and within the Allianz Premier 15s. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coaching some of the best players in the world game at Gloucester-Hartpury and Worcester Warriors but developing young players who could represent Wales in the future is massive for me.
“There is so much Welsh talent, not just in Wales but throughout the UK and beyond. We need to capture and develop that talent and give the players the support and opportunity to be the best athletes they can be and that is very exciting.”
WRU performance director Nigel Walker added: “These appointments are critical to our strategy to develop the best young players for Welsh Rugby and I’m thrilled with the calibre of individual we have recruited to these roles, with both Liza and Byron experts in developing our best young athletes as players and as ambassadors of our game.
“From a female perspective, Liza will lead an U18 regional and national playing and training programme, which will start in February following on from the Skills Development Centres that have been held around Wales this autumn.
“Discussions are currently taking place around male and female Six Nations U18 festivals that could take place in the spring, while an U20 programme will be established from 2023.
“From a male perspective, Byron has already set out identifying and developing players for our U20 Six Nations squad and will confirm his coaching and management team in the coming weeks.”