Wales U19 have confirmed their squad to take on France at Rugby Club Massy Essonne this Saturday at 3:30pm — and there’s a strong Cardiff Rugby presence in the group as several Blue & Blacks earn international recognition.

Cardiff’s influence is felt throughout the backline, with Rhys Cummings starting at fullback, Joseff Jones on the wing, and Bailey Cutts lining up in the midfield. In the pack, Tom Howe gets the nod at hooker, representing the club in the starting XV.

There’s further Cardiff representation on the bench, with Dylan Barratt, Callum Donoghue-Proud, Sonny McCabe, and Lloyd Lucas all named among the replacements — a clear sign of the pathway strength at the Arms Park.

The fixture offers an early-season opportunity for players to impress Wales U20 head coach Richard Whiffin ahead of Six Nations selection. Whiffin emphasised the importance of giving young talent meaningful exposure, with the U19 programme designed to bridge the gap between school rugby and international U20 standards.

Richard Whiffin said – 

“We’re really excited for the opportunity of getting out to Paris and play France U19s at Massey, a very famous rugby club in Paris,” said Whiffin.

“The boys are excited at getting that opportunity against one of the best teams in the world.

“The game shows we are beefing up our U19 programme by getting a fixture in this early in the year and it allows us to get a look at more players early in the season and gives those guys a chance to put their hands up for U20 Six Nations selection in a couple of months.

“We want to get players in the red jersey as much as possible. For the U19s for a lot of them it’s the first year out of school, some are still in school so it’s a jump to U20s therefore this U19s programme allows them to understand what an international programme looks like.”

Wales U19 v  France U19 at Rugby Club Massy Essonne, Sat 15 Nov, KO 3.30

15 Rhys Cummings (Cardiff Rugby)
14 Joseff Jones (Cardiff Rugby)
13 Bailey Cutts (Cardiff Rugby)
12 Jack Hoskins (Ospreys)
11 Ben Evans (Ospreys)
10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones (Scarlets)
9 Carter Pritchard (Dragons RFC);
1 George Leyland (Bristol)
2 Tom Howe (Cardiff Rugby)
3 Nathan Davies (Dragons RFC)
4 Oscar Rees (Gloucester)
5 Osian Williams (Bristol Bears)
6 Kai Jones (Scarlets)
7 Joe Denman (Scarlets)
8 Cerrig Smith (Capt) (Dragons RFC)

Replacements

16 James Talamai (Dragons RFC)
17 Dylan Barratt (Cardiff Rugby)
18 Callum Donoghue-Proud (Cardiff Rugby)
19 Sonny McCabe (Cardiff Rugby)
20 Luke Daniel (Dragons RFC)
21 Sam Morgan (Ospreys)
22 Luca Woodyatt (Gloucester)
23 Lloyd Lucas (Cardiff Rugby)
24 Morgan Carter (Dragons RFC)
25 Rhys Cole (Dragons RFC)
26 Noah Morgan (Dragons RFC)