Wales Students name Four Nations squad
Wales Students coach Latham Tawhai has named his 20-man squad for the Four Nations tournament.
The competition kicks off on Sunday in Bray, Ireland, with the Welsh squad playing the hosts on the opening day.
“After our final outing against the Aber Valley Wolves and following last weekend’s club matches, we have named a 20 man squad for the home nations tournament,” said Tawhai.
“It’s been a long process due to the tournament being put back a few months but it’s enabled us to get a bit more preparation done with the squad.
“It’s taken a lot of commitment from the players, especially at this time of year when so many of the have assessments, exams and part time jobs to cater for so you’ve got to give them a lot of credit for getting to this final stage.
“If you asked me a few months ago if I thought on paper the squad would look like this I would have said no.
“But the more time I’ve spent with this group on the training field and watched how they have developed and the character they have shown, I certainly couldn’t have asked for a better group.
“First impressions can be deceiving. A couple of people I’ve spoken have commented that when you first see this group of players, you wouldn’t expect what they have delivered on the field.
“The performances the lads put on against two good sides in the North Wales Select XIII and the Aber Valley Wolves were real solid displays with some great skill and execution so we can take a lot of confidence from those games.
“We expect England to be as strong as they always are and I’m sure both Scotland and Ireland in particular to have prepared well for the tournament and we’re excited about the challenging tournament week to come.”
WALES STUDENTS 20-MAN SQUAD: Morgan Evans, James Exley, Fraser Robinson (all University of Bath), Marcus Webb (Bridgend College), Jordan Howells (Cardiff Metropolitan University), James Gahan, George Giles, Nathan Rainer, Josh Williams (all University of Gloucestershire), Rhys Davies (Coleg Gwent), Matt Davies (Hartpury College), Jordan Thomas (Maesteg Comprehensive School), Tom Davies (Newcastle University), Joe Bridger, Osian Phillips, Yousif Sulliman (all University of South Wales), Alec Wheatley (Swansea University), Efan Ellis (University of Wales Trinity St David), Connor Davies, Curtis Davies (both Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera).
STUDENT FOUR NATIONS FIXTURES:
Sunday 14th June – Scotland v England (2pm), Ireland v Wales (6pm)
Tuesday 16th June – Wales v Scotland (2pm), Ireland v England (6pm)
Friday 19th June – England v Wales (noon), Ireland v Scotland (4pm)
