Sixty five different players represented the Men of Gwent, as injuries depleted the first team squad and twenty one players made their Pro14 debut, with 80% of those coming through the pathway from the region’s clubs.
“Our job in the Academy is to push players through to the senior squad,” says Academy Manager James Chapron.
“Taine (Basham), Lennon (Greggains) and Dan (Babos) whenever they’ve played they have added to the environment and hopefully that’s going to put them in good stead for their next stage of their careers.
“Then there’s Arwel and Connor who are starting to make that real transition and put their hands up as first team players.
“I’m often a little nervous when they have their first run out. For instance, seeing Chris Coleman go on for his first match at the Principality Stadium was a little bit heart in the mouth, but he came through that tough experience well as did the other boys.
“The younger players generally don’t have the fear or baggage with them, so they can come in and just play and Bernard has careful in trying to give them as much experience as possible, so some boys like Leon Brown and Aaron (Wainwright) have grasped that and hopefully will have 10 to 15-year careers that will eclipse anything that has gone before for them.”
Seven months ago it was Leon Brown’s meteoric rise that was making headlines, as the young prop from Maesglas went from making his debut at regional level to a first Wales cap in under a year and this Saturday in San Juan, Aaron Wainwright hopes to emulate his colleague after the final whistle prevented him from getting his first international honour in Washington last weekend against South Africa.
“Aaron making the Welsh squad was a surprise given where he’s come from and a relative beginner,” added Chapron.
“However, he’s a bona fide first team player and for this A team programme coming out we could put out a first team of under 23-year-old players, which is a good thing for the region and a real credit of what Bernard is trying to do in brining Welsh players through.”
Wales’ bid to qualify for the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup disappeared despite an 18-17 victory over Japan in Perpignan yesterday and the historic first victory against Australia at an Under-20 World Cup in the opening round of the tournament. However, the Dragons have been rewarded for their youth selection policy in the Pro14, with eight players picked for the Under 20 World Cup and last year’s U20 Six Nations, more than any other region.
“These young players learn more in training with senior pros and senior coaches and that gives them more confidence when they step in to those age grade environments. They take on more senior leadership roles, so Max Williams has been key to Wales line-out success in the first two games of the Wales Under 20s World Cup and he’s learnt that by training against Rynard (Landman) and Lewis Evans who are solid operators themselves.”
After a comprehensive externally audited review a new regional U23 competition will be introduced next season to drastically improve the player pathway system within Wales and create a new 'fit-for-purpose' top tier club league. Chapron is excited by the benefits this new structure will bring, giving the regions the capacity and platform to develop players through ‘A squads’ aligned to their first teams.
“It’s been well documented that there’s a gap between the regions and the tier below, through no-one’s fault other than mainly finances and circumstance, so we’re aiming for our A programme to bridge the gap, not only in terms of the fixtures but also the training programme,” added Chapron.
“Rather than 2-3 hours a week as semi-pro players, the players will train 20 hours as a full-time professionals under the same guidance as the first team.
“Then they get that mini-Pro14 experience travelling over to Ireland for matches as well as Welsh derbies, so when they do make that step in to the seniors it’s not alien to them.
“For us it’s vital we try and increase the average age of our senior squad which means increasing the average age of our academy and hold players a bit longer, so rather than making decisions about players at 19 or 20, we can decide at 21 or 22.
“This can only be good for Welsh rugby, as if they don’t make it with us they then go into the Premiership hopefully at a slightly later age more developed and more assure of themselves and that will make Welsh rugby stronger as a whole.”
“Our job in the Academy is to push players through to the senior squad,” says Academy Manager James Chapron.
“Taine (Basham), Lennon (Greggains) and Dan (Babos) whenever they’ve played they have added to the environment and hopefully that’s going to put them in good stead for their next stage of their careers.
“Then there’s Arwel and Connor who are starting to make that real transition and put their hands up as first team players.
“I’m often a little nervous when they have their first run out. For instance, seeing Chris Coleman go on for his first match at the Principality Stadium was a little bit heart in the mouth, but he came through that tough experience well as did the other boys.
“The younger players generally don’t have the fear or baggage with them, so they can come in and just play and Bernard has careful in trying to give them as much experience as possible, so some boys like Leon Brown and Aaron (Wainwright) have grasped that and hopefully will have 10 to 15-year careers that will eclipse anything that has gone before for them.”
Seven months ago it was Leon Brown’s meteoric rise that was making headlines, as the young prop from Maesglas went from making his debut at regional level to a first Wales cap in under a year and this Saturday in San Juan, Aaron Wainwright hopes to emulate his colleague after the final whistle prevented him from getting his first international honour in Washington last weekend against South Africa.
“Aaron making the Welsh squad was a surprise given where he’s come from and a relative beginner,” added Chapron.
“However, he’s a bona fide first team player and for this A team programme coming out we could put out a first team of under 23-year-old players, which is a good thing for the region and a real credit of what Bernard is trying to do in brining Welsh players through.”
Wales’ bid to qualify for the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup disappeared despite an 18-17 victory over Japan in Perpignan yesterday and the historic first victory against Australia at an Under-20 World Cup in the opening round of the tournament. However, the Dragons have been rewarded for their youth selection policy in the Pro14, with eight players picked for the Under 20 World Cup and last year’s U20 Six Nations, more than any other region.
“These young players learn more in training with senior pros and senior coaches and that gives them more confidence when they step in to those age grade environments. They take on more senior leadership roles, so Max Williams has been key to Wales line-out success in the first two games of the Wales Under 20s World Cup and he’s learnt that by training against Rynard (Landman) and Lewis Evans who are solid operators themselves.”
After a comprehensive externally audited review a new regional U23 competition will be introduced next season to drastically improve the player pathway system within Wales and create a new 'fit-for-purpose' top tier club league. Chapron is excited by the benefits this new structure will bring, giving the regions the capacity and platform to develop players through ‘A squads’ aligned to their first teams.
“It’s been well documented that there’s a gap between the regions and the tier below, through no-one’s fault other than mainly finances and circumstance, so we’re aiming for our A programme to bridge the gap, not only in terms of the fixtures but also the training programme,” added Chapron.
“Rather than 2-3 hours a week as semi-pro players, the players will train 20 hours as a full-time professionals under the same guidance as the first team.
“Then they get that mini-Pro14 experience travelling over to Ireland for matches as well as Welsh derbies, so when they do make that step in to the seniors it’s not alien to them.
“For us it’s vital we try and increase the average age of our senior squad which means increasing the average age of our academy and hold players a bit longer, so rather than making decisions about players at 19 or 20, we can decide at 21 or 22.
“This can only be good for Welsh rugby, as if they don’t make it with us they then go into the Premiership hopefully at a slightly later age more developed and more assure of themselves and that will make Welsh rugby stronger as a whole.”
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