Five young talents sign academy apprenticeships

Cardiff Rugby have handed scholarships to five up and coming prospects for the 2024-25 season. 

Following a successful Under-16s campaign, a number of promising players have been rewarded with academy contracts and scholarships. 

The scholarships have been given to Ben Coomer, Bailey Cuts, Alfie Prygodzicz, Sonny McCabe and Lucca Alexander-White to continue their studies within the region while representing the club’s age-grade squads.

Academy Manager Gruff Rees said “We are really pleased to see five of our talented Under-18s group commit to our programme with scholarships. 

“They have been around our environment consistently since Christmas and it is clear that they have a strong desire to learn and improve as well as a real point of difference and skill-set within their respective positions.

“We are looking forward to supporting further them over the next 12 months with highlighted opportunities within our succession planning and the potential transition through to the senior academy.”

Talent and pathway manager Aled James added “We are fortunate to have so much talent coming through the Cardiff regional pathway and we do our due diligence and work behind the scenes to support all players through their journey to fulfil their potential on and off the pitch.

“We try to remain objective and assist the players and their parents to make the best individual choices. We are fiercely committed to producing more and better players for the professional game in Wales and ultimately the Cardiff Rugby first team squad, and offering these scholarships is a key component of that. 

“We are pleased to support our best talent while working closely with local educational partners and look forward to helping these five talented players in the year ahead.”