Wales U20 head coach Richard Whiffin has named eight Cardiff players in his matchday 23 as his side prepare to face defending champions South Africa in a decisive Pool A clash on Tuesday (KO 3pm BST).
Wales head to Tbilisi bidding to secure a place in the semi-finals, with Rhys Cummings, Osian Darwin-Lewis, Steffan Emanuel, Tom Bowen, Siôn Davies, Tom Howe and Tom Cottle all named in the starting XV, while Lloyd Lucas is included among the replacements.
The young Welsh side head into the contest full of confidence after recording back-to-back victories over Argentina and Uruguay, with it being the first time Wales have won their opening two pool matches at the tournament since 2013.
The emphatic 47-0 victory over Uruguay was also the first time in the competition’s history that Wales have kept an opponent scoreless, setting up a winner-takes-all encounter with the reigning champions.
With South Africa holding an extra bonus point, Wales know only a victory will be enough to top Pool A and guarantee a place in the semi-finals.
Reflecting ahead of Tuesday’s crunch fixture, Whiffin praised his side’s performance so far throughout this tournament, while also explaining the thinking behind his current team selection.
“A lot of guys have put their hands up for selection after the opening two games, but we felt we wanted to keep some of the team from Georgia in terms of the starting crew as they probably deserve to have another go.
“We’ve changed some options on the bench to give us more coverage up front, which will allow us to be a bit more flexible later in the game around how we might want to get after South Africa.”
The Wales head coach is under no illusions about the challenge awaiting his side but believes they are capable of matching the defending champions.
“They’ve had two good first games themselves. They are big and physical, and they want it to be a collision-dominant game. We know we have to front up.
“We’ve spoken about what it needs to look like from us, but we’re excited for the challenge. There is opportunity against them and we know if we execute our best game, we are a match for anyone.”
Wales U20 starting XV
- George Tuckley (Dragons RFC)
- Tom Howe (Cardiff Rugby)
- Jac Pritchard (Scarlets)
- Will Evans (Scarlets)
- Tom Cottle (Cardiff Rugby)
- Deian Gwynne (Gloucester Rugby – captain)
- Caio James (Gloucester Rugby)
- Evan Minto (Dragons RFC)
- Siôn Davies (Cardiff Rugby)
- Carwyn Leggatt-Jones (Scarlets)
- Tom Bowen (Cardiff Rugby)
- Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby)
- Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff Rugby)
- Rhys Cummings (Cardiff Rugby)
- Lewis Edwards (Ospreys)
Replacements
16. Oscar Thomas (Bath Rugby)
17. Dylan James (Ospreys)
18. Yestyn Cook (Scarlets)
19. Luke Evans (Exeter Chiefs)
20. Osian Williams (Bristol Bears)
21. Alex Ridgway (Bath Rugby)
22. Cai Gealy (Bristol Bears)
23. Lloyd Lucas (Cardiff Rugby)