Gareth Williams has shaken up half his Wales U20 team to face Ireland in Colwyn Bay on Friday night.
The coach’s response to a disappointing defeat to Scotland is to bring in five new starters and make two positional changes for their final match of the age group Six Nations.
In the backs, Tomi Lewis returns to the wing in place of Alex Morgan while Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler gets his first start of the campaign, with Max Llewellyn dropping to the bench.
Leicester’s Sam Costelow, who came on as a replacement against Scotland, starts at fly-half with Cai Evans moving to full-back while Ioan Davies switches to the wing from No 15.
In the forwards, Rhys Davies and Ed Scragg return to the front row and second row respectively for the game at Zipworld Stadium (7.05pm).
“It was a big aim of ours to win the championship but that is obviously off the table after our disappointing defeat to Scotland last time out but Friday is still a Test match at international level, against a traditional rival in Ireland so I’m sure it will be a fantastic occasion,” said Williams.
“Ireland will be very driven to finish the job off after claiming the championship with one round to go but if we show the quality and passion from the England game then we should be able to give a good account of ourselves.”
Williams hasn’t been afraid to juggle his team selections around and this one is no different, with Costelow earning his first start at U20 level.
“It’s a reward for how he has been performing throughout the Six Nations, especially for that 15-20 minutes against Scotland. Cai Evans has been retained in the team because he has been quality throughout the competition and is yet to miss a kick at goal.
“Dragons second row Ed Scragg gets another start, also as a reward for his performances and he continued his good form against Scotland as a second half replacement.
“We know Ireland are seeking a Grand Slam, but we are focused on ourselves, we’re appreciative on how well they have done this campaign and they are a real threat and possess leadership across the park. But the boys are determined to finish the campaign off on a high note in front of a big home crowd.”
Wales U20 v Ireland, Zipworld Stadium, Fri March 15, KO 7.05pm (Live on S4C)
15 Cai Evans (Ospreys) 14 Tomi Lewis (Scarlets) 13 Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler (Ospreys) 12 Aneurin Owen (Dragons) 11 Ioan Davies (Cardiff Blues) 10 Sam Costelow (Leicester Tigers) 09 Dafydd Buckland (Dragons); 01 Rhys Davies (Ospreys) 02 Dewi Lake (Ospreys – CAPT) 03 Ben Warren (Cardiff Blues) 04 Ed Scragg (Dragons) 05 Teddy Williams (Cardiff Blues) 06 Ellis Thomas (Llanelli) 07 Jac Morgan (Aberarvon/Scarlets) 08 Iestyn Rees (Scarlets)
Replacements: 16 Will Griffiths (Dragons) 17 Tom Devine (Dragons) 18 Nick English (Bristol Bears) 19 Jac Price (Scarlets) 20 Ioan Rhys Davies (Cardiff Blues) 21 Dan Babos (Dragons) 22 Max Llewellyn (Cardiff Blues) 23 Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets)