WALES U19 HAVE GRAND SLAM IN SIGHT

Welsh Rugby Union | Club & Community Published 11:43 am 14th Mar 2006 post

The match is the most important Under 19 occasion since Wales reached the 1999 U19 Rugby World Cup final.

Bradley Davies’s current all-conquering side having now beaten England 13-10, Scotland 48-10, Ireland 31-6 and Italy 32-18, that earns them the chance to shoot for Grand Slam glory in a campaign that kicked off with an historic 27-7 victory over Australia Schools – the young Wallabies’ first Test defeat on Welsh soil.

Head Coach Justin Burnell has made eight changes from the starting line-up against the Azzurri and fields the same 15 who began it all against the Aussies.

“We are back to the team that started this campaign with the win over Australia as we feel it is our strongest line-up,” said Burnell. “France U19 beat England 20-17 last weekend and will come to Wales unbeaten – though they are not playing Ireland this season, however, it is still a clash of two unbeaten teams so it all adds up to a massive occasion.

“And the players certainly deserve to play in front of a big crowd on Thursday night. I know everyone was disappointed with what happened at the Millennium Stadium last Saturday but it is not all doom and gloom and this is an opportunity for people to come and see that things really are stirring at this level.

“At the end of the month we go to Dubai for four weeks for the U19 IRB World Championship, where we start against New Zealand, so this is the perfect final match for us before we take on the young All Blacks.”

Wales U19: Martyn Thomas (Scarlets); Alec Jenkins (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Ashley Smith (Dragons), James Lewis (Dragons); Rhys Jones (Sale / Exiles), Robert Lewis (Dragons); Hugh Gustafson (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Jamie Corsi (Dragons), Bradley Davies (Blues, captain), Lou Reed (Scarlets), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets), Daniel Franks (Blues), Lewis Evans (Dragons)

Replacements: Keiron Jenkins (Blues), Nicholas Eaves (Blues), James Down (Blues), Marc Breeze (Ospreys), Gareth Maule (Dragons), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Darren Allinson (Scarlets)