At a time when junior rugby has been given a significant facelift by the WRU, the competition will take centre stage as the four regions do battle at Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 levels.
And the man who is backing the initiative is
Howley, who is currently battling against a serious wrist injury, has been named as the competition’s ambassadorial figurehead and the 59-times capped former Cardiff and Bridgend scrum half believes the inception of such a competition will help kick start a new era for the national game.
Howley, who is still coming to terms with the news that his summer surgery has yet to cure the longstanding problem, enjoyed significant success at junior level.
Now, the London Wasp, is already tipping the tournament to bring the game renewed success – at all levels.
“I am always exited when I see a new idea coming to fruition,” said Howley. “Looking from the inside, I think the initiative is potentially explosive and I can imagine that those working with
“When Reebok asked me to become an ambassador for the competition, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Obviously things have not gone too well for me personally over the past few weeks, but the disappointment of not playing hasn’t detracted from the satisfaction I get from being involved with this.
“Until I can start training again properly, I am going to have plenty of time on my hands, so I am hoping to come down and see how the respective sides are shaping up. I’m not going to put myself in the firing line by tipping one of the regions to do well or to put my weight behind my old region in
“It’s always good to see young players coming through and I think this idea will ensure that players are not lost to the system like Gareth Thomas was for a couple of years in his teens. On top of that, I think Mike Ruddock will see it as a way of fast-tracking young players into the senior national squad.”
At under 16 level, the competition kicks off with the Blues, split into north and south, entertaining the Scarlets and Ospreys respectively at Aberdare and Pentyrch.
The under 18s will host the Dragons – with the Ospreys travelling to Stradey Park to meet the Scarlets – whilst on Wednesday the under 20s take centre stage with the Dragons and Blues meeting head on at Ebbw Vale and the Scarlets making the short trip to the Talbot Athletic Ground to face the Ospreys.
Teams for this week
Under 16
Blues South U16 v Ospreys U16 – Pentyrch, 7pm
Blues South C Llewellyn; L Collier, B Warburton, A Foley, J Egan; P Williams (capt), R Dyer; G Spears, S Barry, L Griffin, L Rappa, E Morris, R Watts-Jones, M Cerelli,
Replacements: P Jones, S Spavin, C Holcum, C Hearne, W Williams, J Bird, G Price
Ospreys: L Halfpenny; S Davies, T Williams, L Phillips, L Osowicz; D Biggar, R Webb; R Bevington, D Ronan (capt), A Minnifey, N White, T Hicks, S Evans, A Bale
Replacements: N Jones,
Blues North U16 v Scarlets U16 – Aberdare, 7pm
Blues North: L Davies; B Powell, A Reed, O Lewis, M Powell; J Hughes, G Lucas; T Price, R Williams, S Andrews, J Edwards, M Alazawi, A Macey, R James, C Dacey
Replacements: S Parry,
Scarlets: D Evans; M Lemon, R De Fillipo, A Jones, G Peachment; D Newton, M Gibson; T Wyn, R Guest, K Jones, L Jones, H Pugh, J Spurnway, N Cudd, M Evans
Replacements:
Under 18
Blues v Dragons –
Blues: K James; K Hendrickson, G Baldwin, J Gough, J Bird; C Ballor, L Scarf; S Thomas, M Jones, K Jenkins, O Swindell, B Davies, J
Replacements: G Williams, A Fowler, P Palmer, J Downes, M Gardner, C Ashton, AN Other
Dragons: C Vitalini; W Cunliffe, A Smith, G Maule, J Norris; R Jones, R Lewis; W Griffiths, N Williams, G Price-Jones, A Brown, S Tamplin, E Matthews, B Flower, L Evans
Replacements: J Corsi, J Leek, D Crandon, T Organ, R Turner, M Johnstone, G Bush
Scarlets v Ospreys –
Scarlets: R Priestland, K Davies, S Martin, J Davies, R Thomas; M Thomas, D Allinson; H Gustaffason, L Phillips, D Griffiths, B Harris, J Turnbull, A Jenkins, D Jones, K Owens
Replacements: T Slater, E Phillips, L Spurway, L Reed, C Easy, J James, R Williams
Ospreys: G Whittaker; D Pike, A Wilkins, D Watts, J Challenger; N Roberts, C Morgan; L Williams-Jones, M Breeze (capt), G Cunniffe, M Thomas, R Kelly, S Kiley, L Simms, J Jones
Replacements: L O’Brien, D Clancey, J Howells, I Watkins, R Lawrence, S Evans, K Moore
Under 20
Dragons U20 v Blues U20 – Eugene Cross Park, 7pm
Dragons: L Pearson; C Jones, G Ferguson, G Callow, D Robinson; S Mills, A Walker; N Downes, S Vokes, R Wilkes, G King, S Morasco, P Sargeant, R Nash, J Lydiate
Replacements: C Morgan, S Thomas, J Farthing, J Juene, R Cornock, A Morgan, K Mahoney
Blues: M McClean; N Gill, G Evans, T Riley, G Williams; D Flanagan, D Walsh; N Trevett, D Goodfield (capt), P Osborne,
Replacements: T Dickens, G Williams-Davies, J Roberts, C Dicomedies/J Connors, G Jones, D Evans, M Bailey
Ospreys v Scarlets – Talbot Athletic Ground, 7pm
Ospreys: A Bramwell; N Trowbridge, C Tossel, D Watts, M Jeffreys; J Dixon, N Griffiths; G Lynch, B Gant; C Mitchell, A Jones (capt), M Collins, D Lloyd-Jones, R Cridland, B Lewis
Replacements: S Allen, J Spratt, A James, R Jones, D Apsee, S Leach, R Gierat
Scarlets: R Davies; D Daniel, E Williams, G Evans, S Davies; A Thomas, L Davies; I Jones, H Devonald, D Thomas, D Day, K Davies, R McCusker, S Phillips, C Everett
Replacements: C Evans, L Marsh, M Davies, D Edwards, D Halpin, R Jones, L Williams
