National Squads switch focus to competition
The Under 21 Women and Men had a full training week-end in Cardiff looking towards the Celtic Cup in Scotland at the end of this month as a stepping stone to their respective EuroNations tournaments later in July. Also included in the U-21 groups have been U-18's with the potential to step up a level.
Both squads have a good blend of experience and new talent. Merijn Van Willingen, Head Coach for the Women Under 21s, and his coaching partner Jo Nightingale were in an ebullient mood. Merijn said that "We have spent a long time thinking about what our best 18 would look like, but we are now confident that we have a group of girls with the capability to excel in a performance environment. Competition for places in the starting eleven will be fierce, with internal squad differences small. We feel we have a group of girls that could do Wales proud, and its now up to all of us to make sure we do."
The Head 21 Men's Coach, Brian Hibbert, had his players step up a gear last week-end "Look, I am impressed with the squad work ethic and commitment here which will count for a lot in Italy." Working in tandem with Zak Jones, the newly appointed Senior Men's Coach, and Matt Ruxton who will be on assistant coach duties in Italy, Brian also has half an eye on the Olympics where his son will be keeping Goal for South Africa! The Under 16 Boys travel to Scotland to play 3 tests this weekend whilst the Scots girls visit Wrexham to compete against the Under 16 Girls in the reverse fixture. The following week-end the Under 18 Boys travel to Paris to play the French in 2 tests and the Under 18 girls are involved in series of testing matches at Lilleshall in July. The Senior Women started their lead in to the Celtic Cup last week-end with Pam Richards at the helm and Phil Gooderham as the coaching team, whilst the Senior Men get together next week-end with some opportunities for new faces. The competition in Cork is an excellent development opportunity as part of the lead in to the programme that focuses on key EuroNations Tournaments for both squads next summer.
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