Wales Under 20 coach Patrick Horgan has named the 26 players for the inaugural IRB Junior World Championship on home soil next month, among them returning captain Sam Warburton.
Warburton missed the entire 2008 Under 20 Six Nations with a hamstring injury, but has proved his fitness with some impressive displays for Glamorgan Wanderers and joins Blues Academy members Dan Franks and Luke Ford in returning from injuries.
Other squad members with senior experience are: Gareth Owen who has played for Wales Sevens on the IRB Sevens World Series this year plus Jonathan Davies, Daniel Evans, Jason Tovey, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb and Ryan Prosser. That number will rise to eight this weekend when Leigh Halfpenny – the leading point scorer in the IRB Under 19 World Championship in Northern Ireland last year – makes his regional debut with a start on the wing for Cardiff Blues against Connacht in the Magners League.
Wales are the fourth seeds for the IRB Junior World Championship and will face France, Italy and Japan at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium knowing they must top Pool D if they are to reach the last four.
Full squad:
Sam Hobbs (Blues), Ryan Bevington (Ospreys), Scott Andrews (Blues), Patrick Palmer (Blues), Ryan Prosser (Bristol), Rhys Lawrence (Ospreys), Jevon Groves (Blues), Haydn Pugh (Scarlets), Ashley Sweet (Dragons), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Lloyd Phillips (Scarlets), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets), Sam Warburton (Captain, Blues), Dan Franks (Blues), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Gareth Williams (Ospreys), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Gareth Owen (Ospreys), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Williams (Scarlets), Luke Ford (Blues), Jimmy Norris (Dragons), Nathan Rees (Blues), Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), Daniel Evans (Scarlets), Jason Tovey (Dragons).