Jenkins delighted as Wales reach Final

By Jack Lewis
08/07/22

Exeter Chiefs' young guns, Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza and Ollie Burrows, helped Wales U20s to a hard fought victory over Italy to reach the final of the U20s Six Nations Summer Series.

In a back and forth encounter that saw Wales down to 14 men for much of the match, it was a kick from the Welsh captain Joe Hawkins in the 75th minute that broke the deadlock and sealed victory for Byron Hayward's side. 

They will now face South Africa in the final of the competition and with another physical encounter on the cards, the forward power provided by the Chiefs trio will be once again be pivotal if Wales hope to claim an historic title. 

Second-Row Jenkins, who has had a breakthrough season with Exeter, was quick to praise the hard-work of the pack around him, "I thought the forwards really stepped up tonight, if you look at the size of the (Italian) boys they are senior level props."

But it was his locking partner Christ Tshiunza who claimed many of the plaudits, scoring a vital try on the stroke of half-time to give the young Welsh side some real momentum.  Taking a leaf from the Chiefs playbook, Tshiunza took a tap penalty from five metres out, and bulldozed his way through the Italian defence to touch down.

Jenkins knows exactly what his Exeter team mate is capable of, "It was a massive momentum switch, he’s another player who we all know what he can do. We had the choice to go to the corner or for Christ to tap it, and he felt good so we were more than happy to give him the ball."

After a tough Six Nations campaign, Wales U20s seem to have turned a real corner, and it is clear that the bonds between the squad have played a big part in that. Coming from a tight knit environment at the Chiefs Jenkins knows exactly what it takes to bring a team together, "This group is pretty special and we’ve created a really great environment, we’re all away from family and these are the only boy’s that you can rely on and this is the first group I’ve been in, apart from Exeter, who have bought into the idea of brotherhood!"

With one game remaining, it's a big week for the young Welsh side who will be looking to secure the crown and complete a fantastic turn around after a challenging spring.  No matter the result, all three Chiefs players have stood up and shown exactly why they are so highly thought of by Rob Baxter and the coaching team here in the South West.