Future Wales star Hughes has everyone excited and he’s about to get his big chance

Talk to anyone associated with the Scarlets, or Welsh rugby at the top level for that matter, and they’ll tell you Archie Hughes is a player to get excited about.

Understandably there’s a lot of doom and gloom spreading around Welsh rugby at the moment, with the development pathway in particular under scrutiny. But there are a handful of players within this Wales U20s squad who those within the game are adamant will develop into serious international level players, and Scarlets scrum-half Hughes is one of those.

READ MORE: Wales find a fearless young leader who expects to beat New Zealand and stun the critics

Even during a bitterly disappointing Six Nations, where Wales U20s suffered the ignominy of a whitewash, Hughes stood out like a beacon. The 20-year-old from Pembrokeshire has been likened to a young Dwayne Peel with his sharp service, eye for a gap, rapid acceleration, and game management catching the eye.

The Scarlets have senior internationals Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy above him in the pecking order but with the experienced pair likely to be away at the Rugby World Cup there is every chance Hughes will begin next season as first choice.

“Just to push to become number one if they (Davies and Hardy) are there or aren’t there,” said Hughes when asked what his goals were next season.

“I think that’s always my aim to be number one at my region. Hopefully if those two are away on international duty then I’ll hopefully get some opportunity to play.

“It’s all about just taking that opportunity and making the most of it. I want to showcase that I’m good enough to play at that level.

“They are really good. It’s a pleasure to train with them, and learn from them everyday. I do a lot of extras every day after training with Gareth, and Kieran while I do a lot of work with Peely (Dwayne Peel) as well.

“To be able to learn from those three is great for my development, and there’s no animosity. They are all very helpful and down to earth guys who want to help me learn.”

But first things first; the World Rugby U20s Championship in South Africa. Wales have been written off by all and sundry given they’ve been drawn in a pool containing New Zealand, France, and Japan.

But Wales do have good players on player, especially behind the scrum, with the likes of Hughes, Ospreys number 10 Dan Edwards, giant Bath centre Louie Hennessey, and Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett all players who could do some damage.

Wales begin their campaign against the Junior All Blacks on Saturday and Hughes believes Mark Jones’ men are capable of causing damage.

“We’d like to think we’ve got a dangerous backline and that was definitely a bit of a strength for us during the Six Nations,” he said.

“We are really looking forward to this World Cup. We want to go out there and play with a bit of confidence. We’d like to think we can go out there and score some really good tries like we did in the Six Nations as well.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go out to South Africa twice over the past 18 months with the Scarlets. That was a good experience so I’m looking forward to going back there and playing in a World Cup.

“When you are younger and play rugby you’d love to play in a World Cup so it’s a big honour to go out there. The main thing is going out there and enjoying it while enjoying playing with your mates. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

READ NEXT: