Friday night lights are on the menu for Cardiff Rugby Under 17s as they face off with the Dragons Under 18s.
Season Members will be able to watch for free, while tickets are available to non-members at £3, and with so much young talent on display, it should be a youth derby to remember.
In line with the WRU strategy – “more players, better players”, Cardiff Rugby will once again field a Under 17s team.
Talent and pathway manager Aled James, said: “This is a key age group within our pathway, with the new structured season and Dewar Shield moving to 16s we don’t get as much contact time within a season and the physical aspect of their development becomes critical.
“Players now move from a single age banding to a dual age banding. The physical bandwidth can be huge within this period. With a long term approach and the opportunity to bridge the gap we need to invest heavily in this age group, especially with the interest from our neighbours over the bridge.
“It is often the case with competition for places and the distraction of multiple competitions, we need to ensure that we protect and develop the players within our pathway.”
With many youngsters graduating from the pathway to the senior squad and then the international stage at a rapid rate – the club are working harder than ever to keep up with the professional demand for talent.
Under the leadership of recently appointed academy coach Josh Turnbull and Dr Gethin Thomas of Cardiff Met, the players have been put through their paces over an intense six-week block.
“With the programme coming to its conclusion, it will be good to see the boys play, lots of blood sweat and tears have been shed over the last few weeks,” added James.
“The group has matured collectively. Friday will be a good challenge. Dragons will always bring a huge physicality and streetwise approach, especially at the contact area. This will be a great challenge for our players and set them up nicely for their integration into their WSC programmes as of Sep 2nd.”