Pugh predicting bright future for teen talents now emerging in Wales

WALES U18s head coach Richie Pugh has identified a handful of players within the pathway he believes are potentially stars of the future.

- By SIMON THOMAS

Pugh took his Wales U18s team to Vichy in France for the U18s Six Nations festival where they finished unbeaten, brushing aside Ireland, Georgia and Italy.

Much work has been put into the Welsh Rugby Union's pathway with the aim of producing more and better players over the next few years.

Former Ospreys and Scarlets openside Pugh - who won a senior cap for Wales in 2005 and won the World Cup Sevens in 2009 - is confident many of this year's U18s cohort have huge potential and might even have force their way into contention for the U20s World Championship this summer.

"There's boys who definitely put their hands up," Pugh said.

"Both Carwyn Leggett-Jones and Lloyd Lucas at 10 were outstanding and both showed their game management prowess.

"I thought Rhys Cummings at full-back was excellent. He wasn't involved with us in August but brought his form at Cardiff & Vale College into the regional programme.

"I thought he was outstanding in that 15/14 position in our Six Nations campaign.

"You've got to look at someone like Cerrig Smith. I put him in the same bracket as someone like Deian Gwynne who has gone about his business and captained the team.

"He hasn't had huge flashy moments but he was just like the cement of our team and led the team really well.

"There's boys there that could come in and experience a bit of the U20s training environment and who knows from there."

The discussion at senior level currently centres around whether Wales has the size, athleticism and power up-front to compete with the top tier one nations.

But Pugh is adamant that, over the next few years, players with outstanding physical attributes will begin to filter into the professional game.

"We definitely have that profile of player within the pathway," he said.

"Look at somebody like Osian Williams, who is a Newport boy playing over at Bristol.