Patrick Horgan has been promoted from Wales U19 Assistant Coach to lead the Wales U20 coaching team for the first official U20 Six Nations Championships and the inaugural World Junior Championships at U20 level.

Simon King retains his role as U18 Head Coach and will take his squad to Ireland at Easter for the second Six Nations festival in that age group after a successful tournament for Wales in Glasgow last year.

The Welsh Rugby Union has once again streamlined its elite player development structure at international level in a move which promotes these three sides – Wales Sevens, Wales U20 and Wales U18 – as the three-pronged playing structure of Wales’s elite young players. Wales will no longer field an U19 international side.

This change follows last season’s decision by the WRU to move from U21 to U20 rugby internationally, a shift which has now been adopted at IRB level with the introduction of a World Junior Championships and Junior World Trophy in that age group, replacing both the U21 and U19 World Championships.

Roger Lewis said, “We showed last season that we are not afraid to be bold when it comes to making the right decisions for the benefit of Welsh rugby and the development of our future professional and international players.

“We finished last season ranked in the top four in the world both at U19 level and in the IRB World Sevens standings, which is both a reflection of the structures in place now in Wales, underpinned by our pioneering academy system, and a credit to the coaches and players who flew the flag for Wales last season.

“Our players are now fitter, stronger, faster and ready for professional rugby at an earlier age, hence the need to lower the age of our international sides and we welcome the IRB’s decision to take the same view and restructure their tournaments.” 

WRU Elite Performance Manager Mostyn Richards claims international Sevens benefits both the truncated game and fifteen-a-side rugby.

“Sevens rugby has proved its worth on many fronts. It can be a catalyst for success on the world stage in its own right – we proved we can beat the best in the world in overcoming Series leaders Fiji in Scotland last June and reach our second Cup semi-final.

“It can also have a huge impact on the development of our players as we have seen over the past two seasons, the open space in Sevens helping to develop their game in attack and defence.

“James Hook benefited enormously both on and off the field from playing in IRB and Commonwealth Sevens tournaments but it has also helped players like Tal Selley, Aled Thomas, Tom James, Jamie Roberts, Richie Pugh and Aled Brew to better themselves as regional players.”

Roger Lewis added, “The importance of Sevens rugby is there for all to see which is why we have applied to the IRB to become core members of the IRB Sevens circuit, committing us to all eight of the IRB Sevens Series tournaments, starting with Dubai and George in December, where we are guaranteed top seeding in our Pool thanks to our top four finish in the final two tournaments of last season.”

Dai Rees’s Wales Sevens management team also remains unchanged, with Gareth Baber and Colonel Dai Jenkins continuing as Assistant Coach and Team Manager respectively.

Patrick Horgan follows up his recent appointment as Head Coach of Ebbw Vale RFC with a first head coaching role of an international age grade side. WRU Skills Coach Wayne Jones continues as U20 Assistant Coach and he will be joined by fellow WRU Skills Coach and former Wales flanker Rob Appleyard. The side will be managed by former Wales Youth coach Bob Beale.

The Wales U18 set-up also remains unchanged with Gethin Watts and Nicky Lloyd assisting Simon King in the coaching team and Terry Cobner continuing as Team Manager.

WRU Elite Coach Development Manager Leighton Morgan said, “We are thrilled with the calibre of Welsh coaches now available to us when selecting individuals to nurture and develop our elite young players at international level.

“Dai Rees and his team produced some incredible results last season, especially at the UK tournaments but Gareth Baber also deserves great credit for leading the side to a Plate final victory in Hong Kong in the absence of Dai Rees who was on Dragons European Challenge Cup duty in Clermont Auvergne.

“Patrick Horgan has shown great promise in his early coaching career, helping Neath to two Premiership titles alongside Rowland Phillips and helping Ebbw Vale jump ten places in the space of a season as assistant to Alex Codling last season. He was also Assistant Coach to Justin Burnell in the Wales U19 coaching team last season, helping the side reach fourth place at the IRB World Championships. We have every confidence in Patrick and the rest of his team in this exciting season for U20 rugby.

“Simon King has proved himself to be an able and committed age grade coach, previously at U21 level and now at U18 level. He won the Konica Minolta Cup with Pontypridd in 2006 and next season will be Head Coach of Aberavon. He will continue to provide stability in the U18 management team, along with Manager Terry Cobner and Assistant Coaches Gethin Watts and Nicky Lloyd.”

Mostyn Richards emphasised the renewed importance of U18 international rugby:

“The WRU played a key role in the establishment of the U18 Six Nations festival and last year’s inaugural event was very successful as far as we are concerned, with wins over England and Ireland. U18 rugby forms a vital part of our development structure, especially in the absence of U19 international rugby. We now have a streamlined, two year development pathway in place for our elite young players which we believe will further strengthen our elite development structure in Wales.”

Wales Sevens and age grade management teams

Wales Sevens
Manager: Col David Jenkins
Head Coach: Dai Rees
Assistant coach: Gareth Baber

Wales Under 20
Manager: Bob Beale
Head Coach: Patrick Horgan
Assistant Coaches: Wayne Jones and Rob Appleyard

Wales Under 18
Manager: Terry Cobner
Head Coach: Simon King
Assistant Coaches: Gethin Watts and Nicky Lloyd