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Edwards looking forward to Under-20 East v West match

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Wales Under-20 head coach Darren Edwards revealed he is hoping to be given a selection headache when he casts his eye over an East versus West match on January 5.

Wales Under-20 head coach Darren Edwards revealed he is hoping to be given a selection headache when he casts his eye over an East versus West match on January 5.

With the 6 Nations fast approaching, this will be one of the last chances for players to force their way into Edwards’ thinking.

And Edwards, whose team begin their campaign with a match against England on February 5, wants both sides to really go for it.

He said: “It is a very positive game plan because for these players the tournament is very much a shop window and we want them to be as bold as possible.

“There will be some keen competition in some positions so Wednesday’s game will be very useful for us as a management team, and we will also have the chance to see some partnerships in action.

“We have some talented half backs including Matthew Morgan and scrum halves Aled Davies and Jonathan Evans who all have some senior Regional rugby under their belts. We also have some exciting strike runners in Tom Prydie and Eli Walker so we will need to utilise those strengths out wide.

“The WRU Programme Performance Managers, Will Thomas in the East and Kevin George for the West, have organised the teams and coaching for the match and we’ve asked them to use our basic game plan to help with our preparations as the Six Nations championship approaches.

“We will finalise the 26-man squad as soon as possible after this game and we will get our coaches into the Regions to work on the set-piece in particular.

“We will then train together at the National Centre of Excellence ahead of the championship opener and each week of the Six Nations in a very professional environment. We will have a tight schedule so we will concentrate on the basics and key areas.

“Although we want to do as well as we possibly can in the Six Nations, we also want to build towards the Junior World Championship in June.”

East Wales squad: Backs: Tom Williams (Blues), Will Jones (Cardiff), Elliot Jones (Glamorgan Wanderers), Ashley Norton (Dragons), Owen Williams (Blues), Jack Gadd (Bristol), Ross Wardle (Dragons), Lloyd Thomas (Glamorgan Wanderers), Joseff Griffin (Blues), Lewis Williams (Blues), Jonathan Evans (Dragons), Lewis Jones (Blues) Forwards: Gareth Kemp (Dragons), John Lavender (Dragons), Will Griff John (Blues), Lewis Smout (Blues), Lewis Smout (Blues), Ieuan Davies (Cardiff), Jamie Sollis (Dragons), Rhydian Wilson (Dragons), Cory Hill (Blues), Macauley Cook (Blues), Luke Hamilton (Blues), Gareth Evans (Gloucester), Cameron Regan (Dragons), Thomas Young (Blues), Reuben Tucker (Blues), Owen Sheppeard (Blues)

West Wales squad: Backs: Lee Rees (Scarlets), Liam Williams (Llanelli), Nathan Brooks (Ospreys), Luke Morgan (Bridgend), Eli Walker (Ospreys), Luke Williams (Scarlets), Iolo Evans (Scarlets), Rheon James (Scarlets), Adam Warren (Scarlets), Steve Shingler (Scarlets), Matthew Morgan (Ospreys), Aled Davies (Scarlets), Tom Habberfield (Ospreys) Forwards: Rowan Jenkins (Scarlets), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Will Taylor (Ospreys), Trystan Davies (Scarlets), Sam Parry (Scarlets), Kirby Myhill (Scarlets), Matthew Screech (Blues), Ben Davies (Ospreys), Jon Gardiner (Scarlets), Ollie Pardoe (Swansea), Lawrence Reynolds (Scarlets), Edward Siggery (Pontypridd), Ben Thomas (Ospreys), Steff Phillips (Carmarthen Quins)