While it will be the first time Wales has won the Under 20 Six Nations title and Grand Slam – they secured their first Triple Crown with the 42-16 win over England at Ashton Gate last weekend – if they can beat the Azzurri, there have been three clean-sweeps at Under 21 level.
Current Scarlets’ backs coach Stephen Jones, who went on to play for the British & Irish Lions on two tours and topped 100 caps, was captain of the 1999 all-conquering Wales Under 21 side, while current Wales squad member, Paul James, was in charge of the victorious 2003 team.
The last Welsh team to complete a junior Grand Slam was led by former Wales Sevens international James Merriman in 2005. A crowd of more than 7,000 packed into The Gnoll, at Neath, to see them beat an Irish side containing Andrew Trimble and Stephen Ferris, 32-5.
For the record, this was the Welsh team that took the field 11 years ago:
Wales U21: Ricky Williams (Newport); Aled Brew (Ospreys), Andrew Bishop(Ospreys), Dafydd Hewitt (Cardiff), Chris Czekaj (Cardiff); Matthew Jones (Ospreys), James Ireland (Newport); Scott Roberts (Bridgend), Duane Goodfield (Pontypridd), Cai Griffiths (Neath), Alun Wyn Jones (Swansea), Ian Evans (Neath), Chris Davies (Bridgend), James Merriman (Hartpury College/Gloucester, captain), Jonathan Mills (Scarlets)
Replacements: Rhys James (UWIC), Phillip Osbourne (Cardiff), Ben Thomson (Newport), Tom Smith (Neath), Aled Thomas (Carmarthen Quins), Tom Riley (Pontypridd), Wayne Evans (Carmarthen Quins)
Results: Wales 32, England 21; Italy 3, Wales 40; France 19, Wales 20; Scotland 7, Wales 31; Wales 32, Ireland 5
There were eight players from that squad who went on to win full Welsh caps, with the future Ospreys locks Alun Wyn Jones and Ian Evans adding senior Grand Slams to their collection in 2008 and 2012.
Two years earlier, James’ team had to defend for their lives in Nimes before emerging 21-16 victors’ over France in front of a 16,000 crowd. Their march to the Grand Slam included a fifth successive win over England, 35-9 in Neath, and they also beat a New Zealand Youth XV 28-7.
This was the ‘Class of 2003’ in their final outing at Stade des Costieres:
Wales Under 21: Gareth Swales (Swansea); Will Kershaw-Naylor (Bristol), Jonny Vaughton (Swansea), Gavin Henson (Swansea), Matthew Nuthall (Pontypridd); Nicky Robinson (Cardiff), Mike Phillips (Llanelli); Paul James (Neath, captain), Huw Bennett (Swansea), Rhys Thomas (Newport), Bryn Griffiths (Llanelli), Jonathan Thomas (Swansea), Mark Lewis (Pontypridd), James Malpas (Cardiff), Richie Pugh (Swansea)
Replacements: Keiron Crawford (Ebbw Vale), John Yapp (Cardiff), James Goode (Cardiff), Gareth Delve (Bath), Ricky Richards (Neath), John Lewis (Llanelli), Nathan Brew (Newport)
Results: Italy 16, Wales 27; Wales 35, England 9; Scotland 10, Wales 25; Wales 20, Ireland 19; France 16, Wales 21
The successes in 2003 and 2005 made it a hat-trick of Grand Slams for the coach Chris Davey. His first success came with Jones’ side in 1999. They had to face England at The Gnoll in their final game and came away with a convincing 36-21 victory to complete their 100% record.
Nine of that team went on to play for Wales and Jones was joined by half-back partner Gareth Cooper on the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand.
The team that beat England in the Grand Slam decider was:
Wales Under 21: Craig Morgan (Cardiff); Same Greenaway (Bridgend), Matthew Watkins (Newport), Dan Hawkins (Bonymaen), Martin Giraud (London Welsh), Stephen Jones (Llanelli, captain), Gareth Cooper (Bath); Duncan Jones (Neath), Gareth Williams (UWIC), Darren Sweet (Ynysybwl), Andy Newman (Northampton), Deiniol Jones (Bath), Alix Popham (Newport), Nathan Bonner-Evans (Newport), Gavin Thomas (Bridgend)
Replacement: Gareth Mason (Ebbw Vale)
Results: Scotland 20, Wales 22; Wales 24, Ireland 8; France 6, Wales 10; Italy 19, Wales 78; Wales 36, England 21
WELSH INTERNATIONAL GRADUATES FROM WALES U21 GRAND SLAM TEAMS
1999
Craig Morgan, Matthew Watkins, Stephen Jones, Gareth Cooper, Duncan Jones, Gareth Williams, Deiniol Jones, Alix Popham, Gavin Thomas
2003
Gavin Henson, Nicky Robinson, Mike Phillips, Paul James, Huw Bennett, Rhys Thomas, Jonathan Thomas, Richie Pugh, John Yapp, Gareth Delve, Nathan Brew
2005
Aled Brew, Chris Czekaj, Gavin Evans, Andrew Bishop, Matthew Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Dominic Day
