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Wales Online
3 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales coach names new captain for youngsters' clash against England
Wales coach names new captain for youngsters' clash against England Wales U20s have a new captain for Friday's clash with England U20s Dragons No 8 Evan Minto will captain Wales U20s against England U20s on Friday night (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency ) Richard Whiffin has named Dragons No 8 Evan Minto as his new Wales U20s captain for this Friday's clash with England U20s in Pontypool. Openside flanker Harry Beddall captained the side for the Six Nations but Minto has been given the honour for this U20s World Cup warm-up match against England. Wales pulled off a stunning victory over England in the final game of the U20s Six Nations at the Arms Park in March and repeating that would give Whiffin's side a major confidence boost. Minto is part of a new-look back row which includes Dragons' team-mate Ryan Jones and Gloucester flanker Caio James. The 19-year-old had an impressive Six Nations campaign and Whiffin had no hesitation in handing over the captaincy responsibilities in place of Beddall, who will start from the bench. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. 'He is a very emotional leader but I think, alongside our tactical leaders in the squad, he will get the balance right,' said Whiffin. 'He is a local Pontypool guy plus we wanted to see a slightly different back row. From the performances he put in during the Six Nations, he has certainly put his hand up for the captaincy role.' Article continues below Wales kick-off their World Cup campaign with a tough match against Argentina but first face warm-ups against England in Pontypool and Italy at the Arms Park. Ospreys full-back Lewis Edwards is an exciting player to watch out for, with Bristol's Aidan Boshoff and Ioan Duggan joining him in the backrow. Elis Price and Elijah Evans form a potent midfield partnership with Sion Davies at scrum-half and Harri Ford wearing number 10. In the pack Cam Tyler-Grocott, Sam Hurley and Owain James form a strong front-row with Dan Gemine and Kenzie Jenkins in the second-row. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free 'We've had guys in camp for three weeks working super hard and they deserve an opportunity,' said Whiffin. 'We said to the group at the start of the campaign we were going to use it as a selection game in terms of whittling the squad down from 45 down to 30 so there will be guys playing on Friday night putting their hands up for the plane ticket to Italy. 'So pressure goes onto those guys but ultimately if they can perform on Friday in a big game against England then it sets them up well for the World Cup.' Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. Wales U20s: Lewis Edwards (Ospreys); Ioan Duggan (Dragons), Elijah Evans (Cardiff), Elis Price (Scarlets), Aidan Boshoff (Bristol Bears); Harri Ford (Dragons), Sion Davies (Cardiff); Cam Tyler-Grocott (Cardiff), Saul Hurley (Aberavon), Owain James (Dragons), Dan Gemine (Ospreys), Kenzie Jenkins (Bristol Bears), Ryan Jones (Dragons), Caio James (Gloucester), Evan Minto (Captain - Dragons). Article continues below Replacements: Evan Wood (Pontypool), Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears), Jac Pritchard (Scarlets), Tom Cottle (Cardiff), Luke Evans (Exeter Chiefs), Deian Gwynne (Gloucester), Harry Beddall (Dragons), Logan Franklin (Dragons), Lloyd Lucas (Cardiff), Dylan Scott (Cardiff Met), Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff), Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff), Jack Woods (Bath), Dylan Alford (Scarlets).
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Wales U20s play for World places in England warm-up
Wales Under-20s head coach Richard Whiffin says places in his World Championship squad will be up for grabs when they take on England in a warm-up game on Friday, 6 Minto captains the side which features a number of changes from the team which beat England in the final game of the Under-20 Six Nations. Number eight Minto forms a new-look back row which includes Dragons team-mate Ryan Jones and Gloucester flanker Caio James. Former skipper Harry Beddall is among the replacements. Friday's game at Pontypool Park is the first of two warm-ups with the other a week later at Cardiff Arms Park against World Championships take place in Italy, with Wales drawn against Argentina in the opening match on 29 June. "We've had guys in camp for three weeks working super hard and they deserve an opportunity," said Wales Under-20s head coach Richard Whiffin."We said to the group at the start of the campaign we were going to use it as a selection game in terms of whittling the squad down from 45 down to 30 so there will be guys playing on Friday night putting their hands up for the plane ticket to Italy."So pressure goes onto those guys but ultimately if they can perform on Friday in a big game against England then it sets them up well for the World Cup."Speaking of handing Minto the captaincy, Whiffin added: "He is a local Pontypool guy plus we wanted to see a slightly different back row. "From the performances he put in during the Six Nations, he has certainly put his hand up for the captaincy role."
Wales Online
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Rising Wales international goes 'under the radar' after nearly walking away from rugby
Rising Wales international goes 'under the radar' after nearly walking away from rugby Evan Minto has been praised by his Wales U20s coach after an impressive Six nations campaign Evan Minto in action for Wales U20s against the Regional Academies XV (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Versatile Wales U20s back-row Evan Minto has been tipped for a bright future - regardless of where he ends up at the back of the scrum. The Dragons forward has come a long way from nearly walking away from the game, after failing to make the Wales U18s squad. This season has seen the 19-year-old make his senior debut for the Men of Gwent, while he also impressed for Wales in the recent U20s Six Nations. 'Evan was brilliant and maybe went under the radar a bit,' Wales head coach Richard Whiffin told the South Wales Argus. 'He had a high output on both sides of the ball and I was really impressed with his running lines. 'He played for Hartpury and stepped up to the challenges in BUCS and the English Championship, then got that opportunity with the Dragons to give him confidence going into Six Nations camp. 'He knows when to turn it on and off, he is a fun character in the group but come game time he is very smart and a good tactical leader. 'He has a 'follow me' type of attitude and is very good technically, playing a lot bigger than his weight, which will naturally develop as he gets older.' Article continues below Having also featured for Pontypool in Super Rygbi Cymru and Hartpury on loan, it's been a busy season for Minto - who can play right across the back-row. 25% OFF DEAL NOW: Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby Crucially, Whiffin - who played him at No. 8 in the Six Nations - doesn't think he needs to pick one specific back-row position just yet. 'He's a good lineout forward, can jackal and carry well, so there is no need to pigeonhole him,' added Whiffin. 'It's great for a back row forward's career to be comfortable in all three positions; Evan is highly selectable and can be a help for coaches with those attributes.' Minto, who will be joined at Rodney Parade by Wales U20s captain and back-row partner Harry Beddall next season, will be hoping to enjoy more opportunities for the Dragons. It's all a far cry from nearly walking away from the game - something Minto spoke about to WalesOnline earlier this year. "I managed to play for the first team up there during my first year and then that season I played for the Dragons U18s before winning my first cap for Wales U18s against England at St Helens," he said back in February. "I did my second year in college but didn't get into Wales U18s that year. That was a poor season for me and by the end of it I almost quit rugby all together. "I was really frustrated and I felt like I wasn't enjoying playing rugby any more. I'd had a poor pre-season that season where I ended up losing 10 kilos. Article continues below "I was battling against my weight for the whole season and felt like I couldn't be physical because I had nothing behind me. At the end of it I sat down with my mum and said 'I'm not sure I want to play rugby anymore'. "When I spoke to the Dragons about it they said they'd give me some time off to see how I feel after it. As soon as I stepped away I noticed how much I would miss rugby. So, I had three months off and then as soon as I came back I couldn't wait to be back training because I missed it so much."
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales name team for Under-20 Six Nations opener
Venue: Stade de la Rabine Date: Saturday 1 February Kick-off: 20:10 GMTCoverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. Head coach Richard Whiffin has named four uncapped players in Wales' starting XV for their opening Under-20 Six Nations game against France Dragons duo Logan Franklin and Evan Minto will both make their debuts at scrum-half and number eight Bears second row Kenzie Jenkins and Gloucester flanker Deian Gwynne are the other newcomers who will run out in Vannes on Saturday."It was a tough team to pick as a lot of guys have put their hands up over the past couple of weeks," said Whiffin, who last week named a 41-man squad."Where we've come to is a team full of pace, speed and power and ultimately in skill and that is how we want to attack the game on Saturday."We've got boys with experience who know how we want to play and can help the younger boys in terms of our game model. The younger guys come in with a fresh view and new ideas and have an opportunity to push our game forward." Leicester Tigers flanker Harry Beddall captains the team who are looking to build on last year's fifth position."Harry is someone who has high emotional intelligence and understands the game and is a good barometer of the group. On game day he is someone who leads by example," added U20s: Scot Delnevo; Harry Rees-Weldon, Elijah Evans, Steffan Emanuel, Aidan Boshoff; Harri Wilde, Logan Franklin; Ioan Emanuel, Harry Thomas, Sam Scott, Kenzie Jenkin, Nick Thomas , Deian Gwynne, Harry Beddall (capt) Evan Minto. Replacements: Saul Hurley, Louie Trevett, Jac Pritchard, Tom Cottle, Dan Gemine, Carwyn Edwards, Harri Ford, Tom Bowen U20 Six Nations fixtures France v Wales, Saturday, 1 February (20:10) Italy v Wales, Friday, 7 February (19:15)Wales v Ireland, Friday, 21 February (19:45)Scotland v Wales, Friday, 7 March (19:15)Wales v England, Friday, 14 March (19:30)All kick-off times are GMT.
