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U18s: Nelson Positives and Progression

U18s: Nelson Positives and Progression 4 Mar 2023

As the U18s Regional Age Grade season has ended, Head Coach Saul Nelson looks back with plenty of positives especially as a number of the squad will return next season.

“The easy thing is to thank the players for the commitment and time spent working on the physical and mental levels to keep on improving and developing but is more than that.

The support from their family is massive, and as a region we appreciate it.  At the start of the season, we had the parents present the shirts to the players, as we wanted to recognise them as part of this journey – driving, washing kit, getting them to training – it's hugely important and I know the players are grateful for it.

I also want to thank the coaches and staff, as it’s not just the time spent on the field but behind closed doors with all the prep at home.  Afon, Sam, Gav, Kyle, Callum and Owen have all played their part in the development of this group of players and created an environment that is positive.


It was my first full season, and I am still in my infancy of getting full understanding of certain aspects of the programme.  We were in a good place heading out of pre-season and wish we went into games, but the players headed back to the clubs when it would have been good to have RAG games.

The longer we keep the group together the more chance we have of developing them.


It’s important to put perspective on where we are currently, and I’m happy with what we have achieved.  Of course we want to win games, and not concede as many tries but it would be short-sighted just to focus on that,
We know there is a jump from club to RAG, and we are closing that gap and the efforts of club coaches will continue to help as well.
From where we started to where we ended the season you could see the performances improve.  We had belief and the intent to play, which showed in the Scarlets game where we lost by 3 points – so if a couple of kicks went out way then that would have made a difference.
36 players featured this season, 15 of them were U17 and 6 were U16.  The experience they have got is massive and that stretch will have tested them but it’s exciting to think of the development and what it will do for them heading into next season.”