“As a coach, you can’t get your frustrations out by tackling someone!”

After two rounds of the U20 Six Nations, Wales head coach Richard Whiffin had every right to feel a little frustrated.

Having trailed 14-12 at halftime against a very strong French side in the first round, Whiffin’s side would go on to concede seven second half tries and lose by a chastening scoreline of 63-19.

With just six days turnaround between France and Italy, including flights back and forth from Wales, Whiffin did not have much time with his squad to rectify any mistakes.

“That week would have been the first back-to-back away games for most of the squad,” Whiffin explains.

“We basically only had a 60-minute training session on the Tuesday as our on-pitch training.

“We tried to instil a bit of a siege mentality within the squad after the result in France.”

Turnaround Win

Despite the limited time on the training pitch, Wales were able to turn their fortunes around, beating Italy 18-20 in what was their first away in the U20s Six Nations for five years.

The match was far from comfortable for Whiffin, though, as Wales held on for an agonising last ten minutes after Harri Ford’s penalty gave them a two-point lead.

Firstly, Italian wing Malik Faissal pounced on a lose pass near halfway, kicked on, and appeared to have won the race for the try.

The TMO, who had earlier ruled out two Welsh tries, came to the rescue of the visitors by ruling he had lost control of the ball as he dived for the line.

Then Whiffin had to watch and hope as home outside half Roberto Fasti lined-up a penalty from 30 metres that could have won the game.

If the Wales U20s head coach had put his head in his hands after Wales conceded their 17th penalty of the game in the dying moments, it was the Italian players and fans who followed suit as Fasti missed the target.

Forward Dominant

“Ultimately international rugby is about winning, so we are delighted with that fact,” reflects Whiffin.

“Our set piece play kept us in the game in the first 20 minutes and allowed us to score two quick tries.

“I thought that was going to be our entry into the game, but we didn’t quite manage to put enough phases together to take the game from them. We’ve had two really good away performances from our pack and that shows the good work Marc Breeze has been doing with them outside the campaign.

“Hooker Harry Thomas is doing really well and now has four tries. That comes from the boys having a good driving maul.”

On top of Thomas’s try scoring exploits, Wales’s scrum has been a real source of pride for Whiffin.

The Welsh pack has a 100% record at the set piece and held up well in two very physical opening matches.

“The work we did before the campaign has really paid off,” Whiffin adds.

“It has definitely put us in a better position for the start of the campaign to really rip into our opposition.

“The pack has got a real confidence about themselves now that they have gone toe-to-toe with some big packs and dominated them.”

Thriving Graduates

Having joined the Wales U20 setup in December 2023, Whiffin has already seen one his generations of Welsh talent come through and graduate to senior rugby.

Key players during last year’s Six Nations and U20s World Cup – Morgan Morse, Ryan Woodman, Macs Page, Louie Hennessey to name a few – are all regularly playing first team rugby, with some close to senior international honours.

The upshot of this is that, for this campaign, Whiffin is working with a younger squad: mostly 18 and 19-year-olds, rather than 20-year-olds.

“That’s the beauty of age-grade rugby,” Whiffin says.

“You get a constant cycle of players. It’s definitely part of the coaching challenge, to be able to get younger players up to speed.

“The strengths of the team changes pretty frequently as players a replaced by new ones with different skillsets.

“For me, I have to be flexible. I love it from a coaching point of view, seeing some really good youngsters coming through. Seeing players like Tom Bowen explode onto the scene at Cardiff has been awesome.

“It’s great that we’ve been able to play a small part in their development and give them a chance to express themselves.”

More Opportunities

With regions budgets at an all-time low this season, clubs have had to turn to younger players, giving them opportunities that previous generations would not have had.

Bowen, who scored against Italy for the U20s, has appeared five times for Cardiff this season, despite only being 18. His pace and elusive running style have marked him out as one to watch in Welsh rugby in recent months.

His brace of tries against South African giants the Sharks, up against two-time World Cup winner Makazole Mapimpi, saw his star rise even further.

“A couple of our squad have had some senior experience,” Whiffin adds.

“Tom Bowen and Steffan Emmanuel at Cardiff, but also our flyhalf Harri Wilde. You will definitely see play some senior matches by the end of the season.

“Deian Gwynne at Gloucester is getting some really good senior experience in the Premiership Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup.”

Finding Inspiration

Another who has had a taste of senior rugby is the captain, Harry Beddall. Playing as a flanker for Leicester Tigers, Beddall recently spoke of how much of an inspiration current Welsh openside Tommy Reffell has been for him.

“Every player strives to get better in every aspect of play,” Whiffin says.

“For Harry, he looks up to Tommy because they are at Leicester together and they are both opensides who love to jackal.

“The pleasing thing is that he’s got someone who has got to the level he wants to be at in the future, and who he can relate to.”

Mouth-watering Final Game

With a home match against tournament favourites England at Cardiff Arms Park for the final round the campaign, Whiffin is hoping that a partizan crowd can carry his side to a famous victory.

“It will be a great challenge for everyone. They’re a strong team and going well but to have that game in Cardiff the night before the senior match, we will expect a decent crowd and atmosphere behind us.”

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