Wales U20s are giving Welsh rugby reasons to believe again ahead of "crunch" clash

Monday, 06 July 2026 at 17:59

byHarry Tovey

Wales U20s go up against South Africa U20s on Tuesday afternoon (KO: 15:00) at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi for top spot in Pool A and a place in the semi-finals.

Richard Whiffin’s side are underdogs for the contest against the Junior Springboks in the Junior World Championship, but from the beginning of the tournament to now, Wales have proven their capabilities and strength.

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In front of a hostile home crowd, where many would have crumbled against Georgia in their opening game, Whiffin’s side secured a nail-biting but deserved 25-24 victory.

Then, against Uruguay last Thursday in the Georgian capital, Wales didn’t squander their chances, despite 13 changes to the starting XV; still, they showed their ruthlessness in attack to claim a 47-0 victory against the South American side.

Reflecting on his side’s previous outing against Uruguay, Whiffin said: “It was a pretty special performance.

"We challenged the boys in the week to be accurate, and to keep a team to zero is very pleasing."

Those matches and results have just been stepping stones to a showdown many observers had predicted.

Like Wales, South Africa are undefeated so far in the tournament, scoring 137 points in their comfortable victories against both Uruguay and Georgia.

It’s no wonder that the defending champions are favourites to be crowned tournament winners again, as they boast the depth and physicality and have one of the strongest production lines in World Rugby.

Wales have already faced uphill battles in 2026 with the U20s Six Nations, but tomorrow afternoon will be the sternest examination of exactly where the future of Welsh rugby lies.

With that, whatever the outcome is in Tbilisi, this Welsh side has already captured the hearts of a nation from their campaign prior to the World Championship, and anything now would just be a bonus.

Since the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss against Argentina in Marseille, Wales' men's senior side has endured a turbulent and sometimes brutal losing streak, with many struggling to find any hope.

For far too long, Wales’ age-grade programmes have struggled to provide supporters with genuine optimism, but since the drought of losses for the senior men’s team, the U20s have provided a great deal.

Results were difficult to come by on the international stage, but this tournament has told a different story, with the U20s showing the talent to arrest the significant decline in Welsh Rugby.

For a long time now, supporters have been sitting up and taking note of what Wales U20s are doing. Their resilience is something to celebrate, and at times, the senior side could have learned a thing or two from them.

Wales in this tournament have shown that they are producing a great deal of talent, and it’s not just individual stars; it’s a collective that continues to shine a bright light on Whiffin’s side.

“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 starting crew as they probably deserve to have a go again,” added Whiffin, whose side eyes the prized top four spot at the conclusion of pool play.

“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.

“They obviously have had two good first games themselves, they are big and physical, and they want it to be a collision dominant based game. We know we have to front up.

“We spoke around what it needs to look like from us but we are excited for the challenge. There is opportunity against them, and we know if we execute our best game, we are a match for anyone.”

Players such as Tom Bowen and Deian Gwynne will start their third game of the tournament and look set to be future stars of Welsh rugby. Steffan Emanuel, Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Caio James, and Tom Howe are also richly deserving of a spot among the best in this U20s team.

Not everyone in this squad will be future international stars; history shows that won’t be the case, but as a collective they have reasserted Wales on the global stage, and it’s now over to the senior men’s and women’s sides to follow suit.

A victory over South Africa would easily cement its place in Wales U20s folklore. A trip to the semi-finals would then await. But if that does not happen, the broader picture should not be forgotten.

When Wales leave Georgia, they will do so with a clearer picture of Welsh rugby's future talent, which will quite possibly be needed more quickly than you think to shape a brighter future following next year’s World Cup in Australia.

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Wales U20s Team to play South Africa U20s:

15 Lewis Edwards (Ospreys)
14 Rhys Cummings (Cardiff Rugby)
13 Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff Rugby)
12 Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby)
11 Tom Bowen (Cardiff Rugby)
10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones (Scarlets)
9 Sion Davies (Cardiff Rugby)
1 George Tuckley (Dragons RFC)
2 Tom Howe (Cardiff Rugby)
3 Jac Pritchard (Scarlets)
4 Will Evans (Scarlets)
5 Tom Cottle (Cardiff Rugby)
6 Deian Gwynne (Gloucester Rugby)- Captain
7 Caio James (Gloucester Rugby)
8 Evan Minto (Dragons RFC)

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)