Wales’ team could look a lot different in five years time, with a host of talented youngsters coming through
09:26, 06 Mar 2026Updated 12:37, 06 Mar 2026
Wales U20s centre Steffan Emanuel(Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)
Five years is an eternity in rugby union but planning for the future never stops, and the Welsh Rugby Union will already have one eye on the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
While Wales head coach Steve Tandy’s immediate priority is steering his side away from a third consecutive Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations, attention will inevitably shift towards the 2027 World Cup in the not-too-distant future. Tandy’s appointment, however, is a long-term one, and the wider ambition must be to build a squad capable of genuinely challenging on the biggest stage in 2031.
So what could Wales’ squad look like five years from now?
Despite all the problems there is a crop of youngsters starting to emerge that have people behind the scenes very excited.
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15. Lewis Edwards
The Ospreys full-back is very highly rated by the Wales U20s management and would have been in the U20s Six Nations squad if not for injury.
Edwards had been on fire for Swansea RFC in Super Rygbi Cymru and prior to his injury topped the charts for most offloads, tackles and metres made.
He is strong under the high ball and in defence, and his positional play is very good.
Edwards is also a dangerous broken-field runner who can unpick defences with his running angles; he is physically imposing and strong under the high ball.
Current Wales U20s full-back Rhys Cummings, Cardiff’s Jacob Beetham, Tom Rogers and Blair Murray will be in contention in five years’ time.
14. Louis Rees-Zammit
The Bristol Bears flyer will be 30 by the time of the 2031 Rugby World Cup so should still have plenty to offer.
Rees-Zammit is currently wearing the number 15 jersey for Wales but expect him to swap between full-back and the wing over the next few seasons.
The Wales flyer will likely be chasing Shane Williams’ record of 58 tries for his country by then.
13. Louie Hennessey
The 21-year-old is already a member of the senior Wales squad and will win his first cap against Ireland in Dublin.
Hennessey is a special talent and Wales great Jonathan “Jiffy” Davies wrote in his WalesOnline column last week that he sees the Bath centre as the long-term answer at 13.
He is an excellent attacking threat with an offloading game that has previously been compared to All Blacks great Sonny Bill Williams.
Scarlets pair Eddie James and Macs Page could also be options, along with Dragons centre Harri Ackerman.
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12. Steffan Emanuel
The 19-year-old has been described as a special talent by those within the Welsh game.
Emanuel has already impressed in the United Rugby Championship for Cardiff and is the co-captain of Wales U20s. He was the standout player when the U20s played a training match against the senior team last week.
The rising Cardiff star is a triple threat player who has the ability to get over the gain-line and act as the ball player Wales attacking coach Matt Sherratt craves, assuming he is still part of the coaching set-up in 2031.
Eddie James should also be in his peak by 2031 and will be in the mix while Joe Hawkins and Harlequins powerhouse Bryn Bradley are also options.
11. Aidan Boshoff
The 20-year-old impressed while playing for Wales U20s and has begun to get more minutes for Bristol Bears this season.
Boshoff has a high work rate, is excellent under the high ball and is deceptively quick; he is also a decent finisher.
Cardiff speedster Tom Bowen will also be a strong option by then, along with Cardiff’s Rhys Cummings.
Mason Grady, Tom Rogers and Ellis Mee will still be around in 2027.
10. Sam Costelow
The Scarlets playmaker recently silenced his critics with an excellent individual performance in Wales’ recent narrow defeat to Scotland.
Costelow will be 30 by the time of the 2031 World Cup and should be at the peak of his powers.
The 25-year-old needs some luck with injuries because there is a lot of growth in his game.
Dan Edwards should also have improved dramatically by 2031 and will be challenging Costelow for the number 10 jersey, while Scarlets prospect Carwyn Leggatt-Jones is also being tipped for big things.
It is also worth keeping an eye on Ben Coomer and Lloyd Lucas, while Jack Walsh will also be Welsh-qualified by then, assuming he doesn’t leave Wales this summer.
9. Che Hope
The 23-year-old has been a big part of the Dragons’ resurgence this season.
Hope is an x-factor player capable of creating try-scoring opportunities out of nothing and is a huge threat from the base of the ruck; his support play is also top class.
His game management and kicking game remain a work in progress but looking ahead to 2031 Hope has the highest potential of all the number nines playing in the professional game in Wales.
But on the whole, scrum-half is an area of concern in Wales according to many who work within the pathway.
8. Morgan Morse
The Ospreys backrower has long been tipped as an international star of the future.
Morse made his Test debut last autumn and while he is not in the current Six Nations squad it is only a matter of time before the Ospreys man becomes a regular.
The 21-year-old is an explosive carrier with the perfect blend of explosive strength and athleticism.
Another player who could be in the mix by 2031 is Exeter Chiefs’ England U20s backrower Kane James.
It is also worth keeping an eye on Bath’s Alex Ridgway, Scarlets’ Dom Kossuth and Dragons backrower Evan Minto.
7. Jac Morgan
No introductions needed here.
Morgan is Wales’ best player and is a world class operator who impressed on last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
The Gloucester-bound openside will be 31 by 2031 and at the peak of his powers, while the likes of Alex Mann, James Botham and Tommy Reffell will still be around.
6. Deian Gwynne
The Wales U20s co-captain has been nothing short of outstanding so far in the U20s Six Nations.
Gwynne is already a first choice player at Gloucester and will improve rapidly over the next couple of seasons.
The man from Aberystwyth is a galvanising force in the side, and he is also a very powerful carrier who rarely comes off second best at the collisions.
One would also expect Dragons backrower Ryan Woodman to be there or thereabouts by the 2031 World Cup and it could just as easily be him wearing the number six shirt by then.
Taine Plumtree will also still be around.
5. Luke Evans
The Exeter Chiefs lock is another player who has impressed during the U20s Six Nations.
At senior level there is a lack of size and power within the Welsh game and Evans is one of a handful of players at age grade level who could fix this issue over the next few years.
Evans is a huge athlete with a nasty edge about him on the field and is somebody who dominates at the contact area; he is also an excellent lineout forward.
Of course, Ben Carter should still be around in 2031 and the Dragons lock should go from strength to strength, while Welsh-qualified Canterbury Crusaders lock Tahlor Cahill could also be in the mix by then.
4. Dafydd Jenkins
The Exeter Chiefs second-row has improved significantly over the past few months and will be 28 by the 2031 World Cup.
Jenkins is a player with the potential to become a British & Irish Lion in the future and will undoubtedly play an integral part in any form of Welsh revival.
Another player worth keeping an eye on is Harlequins lock Jonny Green, while the Scarlets’ Will Evans is very highly rated and would have been a key member of the current Wales U20s side if not for injury.
3. Sam Scott
The 20-year-old is another player who has long been earmarked for big things.
Scott is an excellent technical scrummager who was rated so highly by the previous Wales coaching regime they considered taking him on the senior tour of Australia in 2024.
He is also very good around the park and his numbers are always extremely high for a tighthead.
But the problem for Scott is getting game time at Bristol Bears because he has been playing the bulk of his rugby for Dings Crusaders in National One. He is somebody who would benefit by moving back to Wales.
Keiron Assiratti should still be around in 2031 as will Archie Griffin, while Wales U20s tighthead Jac Pritchard has impressed of late.
2. Tom Howe
The Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf pupil is a serious prospect and will certainly go on to win many senior international caps for Wales.
Howe has been outstanding for Wales U20s and is definitely someone worth getting excited about. He is a very explosive ball carrier who is also effective at the breakdown and excellent at the set-piece.
The Cardiff hooker more often than not has a few big moments which typically change the course of a game.
1. Josh Morse
The 21-year-old has impressed for the Scarlets as a replacement over the past couple of months.
Those working within the pathway are confident Morse will develop into a high-level international player.
He is a powerful scrummager who looked dominant in this area of the game in the Scarlets’ recent victory over Ulster in the URC. Morse is also a strong carrier who gets through a lot of unseen work in defence.
Replacements16. Dewi Lake
The Gloucester-bound hooker will be 31 by the time of the 2031 World Cup so should be at his peak.
We all know what Lake offers with his physicality and ability to make regular post-contact metres as his point of difference.
17. Jordan Morris
The converted backrower is a huge physical specimen and exactly the type of forward Welsh rugby needs to invest in.
Morris is a very explosive carrier and his skill levels are also very high.
The Dragons prop’s scrummaging is also getting better and he certainly has the potential to develop into an international player.
18. Yestyn Cook
At 6ft 4in and 20 stone the Scarlets tighthead is certainly the right size profile for the job.
The former Northampton Saints academy player was identified by the WRU’s exiles programme before it was disbanded.
He has had to overcome huge adversity to win a place back in the Wales U20s squad after a horrific knee injury kept him sidelined for 22 months.
But those in the know have singled Cook out as a player to watch, with his scrummaging and ball carrying as his points of difference.
19. Tahlor Cahill
The 22-year-old was identified by the WRU’s Exiles programme and is currently with the Canterbury Crusaders.
Cahill is a regular in the Crusaders’ matchday 23 and is known for his prowess at the lineout; he is also a strong carrier who is equally as adept in the tight as he is in the wide channels.
The WRU will have to work hard to get Cahill to commit to Wales over New Zealand, but he would be a big coup.
20. Kane James
The 20-year-old would be an excellent impact player from the replacements bench.
James is a dynamic carrier who is extremely athletic and can get over the gain-line.
The Exeter Chiefs backrower qualifies for England and New Zealand along with Wales.
21. Archie Hughes
The 23-year-old has a long way to go before he reaches international level but there is potential there.
Hughes has improved over the past couple of months after getting a run of games for the Scarlets. The former Wales U20s scrum-half is a threat with ball in hand and likes to play the game at pace.
Gloucester’s Luca Woodyatt is also a player worth keeping an eye on.
22. Dan Edwards/Carwyn Leggatt-Jones
The Dan Edwards and Sam Costelow rivarly should extend far beyond the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Edwards will be 27 by 2031 and if he keeps improving he will be some player by then.
Carwyn Leggatt-Jones should also be in the mix by then so there is a chance neither Costelow or Edwards will be the first choice outside-half.
23. Mason Grady
The Cardiff wing will be 28 by the 2031 World Cup and should have kicked on in his career by then.
Grady has all the raw minerals needed to develop into a high-class international player.