Young Gun: Tom Phillips – Wales U20s captain

Tom Phillips has already achieved a childhood dream this season representing the Scarlets as well as leading Wales U20s to their first ever Grand Slam, but he is not done yet.
The lock was this week confirmed as the man to lead Wales in the upcoming Junior World Championship in Manchester next month.
Bringing back a first World Cup triumph to Wales would top a fine year for the 20-year-old and it would also put him in the best position to establish himself in the Scarlets pack next season.
“It was brilliant to win the Grand Slam but we’re not taking anything for granted,” he told TRP. “That’s something we’ve achieved and we’re really proud about but hopefully we’ll move on to bigger things next month.
“The JWC is a great opportunity for myself and the other players to show what we can do ahead of next season.
“Growing up in Llanelli, it’s been a really big achievement for myself and my family to represent the Scarlets this season.
“My club season is over now as I’m concentrating on the JWC but hopefully I’ll be able to push on next season and get more game time with the first team.
“I’ve also played a few games for Llanelli in the Premiership and that was good for me to get more game time and get used to the physicality of senior rugby.
“Being a lock, you’ve got to get used to how fast and hard the senior game is and that’s something I’ve worked hard on this season.”
Leaving nothing to chance, Wales have been in camp for the past two weeks already in order to be in the best shape possible when the tournament starts against Ireland on June 7.
And with reigning champions New Zealand also in their pool, Phillips is aware his side will have to be in peak condition to succeed.
He added: “The level of the competition will probably be ten or 20 per cent up from the Six Nations so we’ve got to make sure we’re well-prepared.
“It’ll be disappointing to end the season on a bad note just because we didn’t do our best. We know how good we can be so it’s up to us to show it on the field.
“It’ll be great to be together for so long because our team spirit was key to our success during the Six Nations.
“There’ll be a game every four days so it’s key for us to be in top form going into the tournament. You can’t afford to lose a game if you want to get out of the pool so our first game against Ireland will be a big test.
“We’ve had a quick glance at New Zealand already after they played a friendly against Australia. But a lot can happen in four weeks so we’ll focus on the opposition a bit later.”