Wales U20s went up against their senior counterparts in a full-contact training session on Friday
Wales U20s centre Steffan Emanuel caught the eye of the senior squad as the two teams faced each other in a full-contact session on Friday morning.
This week has seen a host of Wales squad members released back to their clubs for this weekend’s URC action, in a far cry from previous regimes – meaning Steve Tandy is significantly lighter on numbers in the only fallow week of the tournament.
Richard Whiffin’s U20s squad have also seen some players go back to clubs – with Carwyn Leggatt-Jones and Tom Bowen on domestic duty on Friday.
As such, the U20s offered up some stern opposition in training to end the week in a full contact session.
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“They have got a very good team,” said Wales full-back Blair Murray. “They showed their class against Scotland with the win that they had.
“They’ve been playing really well.
“Steffan Emanuel is a class player isn’t he? He’s probably the standout for me.”
The teenage centre has already impressed for Cardiff’s senior side this season, while he’s made an impression as Wales U20s’ co-captain in this year’s Six Nations.
He’s not the only young Wales player catching the eye, either, with fellow U20s international Bowen earning rave reviews from Irish pundit Ian Madigan on Friday night.
Speaking ahead of Cardiff’s win over Leinster, Madigan said of the 19-year-old on Premier Sports: “He is the real deal.
“I actually watched him in the warm-up game at Cardiff when they played Leinster in Dublin earlier in the season.
“I hadn’t heard of him before then, but he is Shane Williams 2.0. He is nippy, has great footwork and great top-end speed.
“He skinned a couple of the Leinster players in that warm-up game. He offers something different.
“He is a guy you want to get in possession at the line, using his footwork. When you get front-foot ball and you get Tom Bowen on the ball, he is lethal.”
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Whiffin’s U20s side beat Scotland last week, having pushed England and France close in their previous two games.
As for Tandy’s men, they’re still looking for their first victory after the narrow defeat to Scotland in Cardiff last Saturday.