Familiarity is the key for Wales in the Rugby League Commonwealth Championship at the end of this month, with 14 of the 15-man squad named this morning having played for the successful South Wales Scorpions Under-19 side this season.
Six of those attend Maesteg School and are active members of the AASE Academy, training full-time in Rugby League while gaining educational qualifications.
The Scorpions are currently top of the Championship South Under-19 league having scored 165 points in their four games so far this season. That position is no fluke. Most of these players have been together for two to three seasons having gone through the successful South Wales Under-16 Scholarship side who in 2012 and 2013 took the scalps of Super League academies such as Salford, Widnes and London Broncos.
Some of them are no strangers to Glasgow with Ben Jones, Daniel Maiden, Jordan Thomas and Zak Williams having played for Wales Under-18s in their 30-0 win against Scotland last October.
Wales’ remaining player in the squad is Harry Cartwright, who is on North Wales Crusaders books and also plays for their feeder club Chester Gladiators in the North West Counties League. Cartwright won a Wales Under-18 cap against England last year.
A number of trials for the Nines tournament were held and some featured players from Super League Academies, but Wales coach Jon Ellis has gone with the players that he felt had the commitment and had put the effort in throughout.
“The trials were really intense and there was lots of positives,” Ellis said. “The attitude in the camp is really good and everyone is in good form.
“We are bonding really well and have adopted the work ethos and positive approach needed to do well. The team is really young, but I know we have a team that puts their bodies on the line for one another.
“The coaching staff are all very experienced in each of their fields and have brought in a disciplined and professional approach to the set-up. It helps having myself and the team physio having served in the British Army and all having experience with coaching professionally and at international level. It helps to keep things going in the right direction.
“I really do feel that we have a great bunch of players and as they all know each other and know how they play, it’s not only useful with the calls on the field, but it creates a good team spirit. I think it’s fantastic that we have a Welsh team who all play their club Rugby League in Wales as well.”
On Friday 27 June, Wales will play hosts Scotland, favourites Australia and unknown quantities Jamaica in Group A of the inaugural RLCC2014 tournament at Broadwood Stadium in North Lanarkshire, which is part of the Homecoming Scotland festival of events. They will return the next day for the play-offs and semi-finals stage.
“The boys are all looking forward to the tournament. We always want to test ourselves against the best and of course that means we’re looking forward to taking Sydney Roosters, who are representing Australia. However well we do, and we’re not going up there to lose, it’ll be a fantastic experience to play at such an event.”
WALES
Harry Boots, Ben Jones, Morgan Jeffries, Daniel Maiden, Jordan Thomas, Zak Williams (all WRL AASE Academy), Harry Cartwright (North Wales Crusaders), Curtis Davies, Rhys Davies, Connor Davies, Paul Edwards, Joe Festa, Alex King, James Taylor, Marcus Webb (all South Wales Scorpions)
Head Coach – Jon Ellis
Assistant Coach – Anthony Murray
Team Manager – Adam Daniels
Physiotherapist – Andrew Thorne
Media Manager – Ian Golden
Entry on both days is FREE.
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