Strange tells U-20s to express themselves

COLWYN BAY 8.15pm WALES U-20s v SCOTLAND U-20s WALES Under-20 head coach Jason Strange has urged his players to go out and express themselves in tonight’s Six Nations opener against Scotland.

Strange has named eight uncapped players in his starting XV, with a further seven set to make their Under-20 bow off the bench.

“There are 15 new caps, so it’s a relatively-inexperienced squad, but the players are very familiar with each other because they’ve come through the pathway together,” said Strange.

“There is a nice balance because a lot of the players have regional experience which is always a positive from our perspective and the players will have gained a hell of a lot from last year’s Six Nations and World Cup.

“The likes of Rhys Carre and Ben Jones ensure there’s a lot of experience in this squad which will be important during the critical moments in games over the next few months.

“It’s up to us to allow them to express themselves and play with freedom to let those strengths come out on the field. They are an exciting group and hopefully we can all get behind them.

“A lot of our players have huge potential, but it’s important everyone understands that it’s a long-term process.

“They are at an early stage of their development and for some of the players it may take three to four years to realise their potential.”

Strange is anticipating a tight game in Colwyn Bay.

“Over the last couple of years Scotland have been very competitive and difficult to play against,” he said.

“For this game in particular we are going to focus on ourselves and just adapt as the game goes by.” Wales U20s: C Evans (Ospreys); J Goodchild (Dragons), C Baldwin (Scarlets), C Carson (Ospreys), R Conbeer (Scarlets); B Jones (Cardiff Blues), H Morgan (Ospreys); R Carre (Cardiff Blues), I Harris (Cardiff Blues), S Wainwright (RGC), J Pope (Bridgend), M Williams (Dragons), T Reffell (Leicester, c), D Davies (Scarlets), T Basham (Dragons). Reps: D Lake (Ospreys), J Reynolds (Dragons), R Henry (Ospreys), M Jones (Scarlets), M Morris (Ospreys), D Babos (Dragons), B Thomas (Cardiff Blues), T Rogers (Scarlets).