West Wales won three matches on Saturday at Merthyr RFC in four exciting encounters against East Wales.
Watched closely by a group of coaches from Wigan Warriors, this was the first of three Origin days of the 2026 season, rewarding U14 and U16 boys who take part in the autumn and winter training sessions, before returning to their clubs for the summer season.
The first match of the day was the largest margin of victory, with West beating East 34-14 in the U14 Development match.
It was 18-0 at half-time thanks to tries from Aaron Fry, William Pincott-Davies, Zacharia Wilcox and Ollie Steinman. Alex Davies converted the first of them.
East got on the board early in the second half thanks to an unconverted Mason Hughes try, but Seth Beynon immediately addressed the balance with another unconverted try.
Player of the match Steinman added the next from kick-off. Alex Davies converted to put the score onto 28-4 before Solomon Bowditch scored an unconverted try for East.
A Carter Jones try and Harry Bloodworth goal soon put the score onto 34-8 but East had the final say as Danny Bennett intercepted for a 50-metre breakaway try, converted by Parker-Jai Jones-Murphy.
Following this was the main U14 Origin match where coaches selected their top players from the autumn sessions, which is where East got their only win of the day, triumphing 28-16.
Macauley Phillips opened the scoring with a try in the corner to give West Wales the lead.
But East soon had an 14-4 advantage thanks to unconverted tries from player of the match Jaxon Jones, and Hywel Evans, then Will Viant dived over for their third and Lewis Watkins converted.
West opened the second half with tries from Hefin Jones and Reggie Lynch, both converted by Logan Caviel, but that was the last time they scored in the game.
Tries from Trystan Nicholls, Joe Underwood and Theo Williams, with Watkins adding another goal gave East the win.
A hail storm very briefly interrupted the third match, where West overcame four Welsh seasons in an hour and a resilient East side to win the U16 Development match 32-24.
Jaxon Robins gave West the lead after three minutes. Ruben Main converted. A good run from Emrys Watkins put East on the board with an unconverted try, but two tries from Louis Johnson and one goal from Main put West 16-4 up.
Jack Tennant tries each side of the break, the second converted by Jacob Stiles, put East within two points, but West soon extended their lead through a Ben Hogan try converted by Main.
Shamad Irewole scored another try back for East to put the score onto 22-18 but West soon put the game out of reach with player of the match Johnson securing his hat-trick and Hogan scoring his second try. Main’s third goal put the score onto 32-18 before East finished the match when Dontae Malcolm scored under the sticks and Stiles converted.
Finally, West beat East 26-20 in the U16 Origin match, but didn’t have it all their own way.
They were 14-0 up on 12 minutes thanks to tries from Jack Parrott, Zac Nottingham and Jacob Maund, with Parrott converting the second.
But with ten minutes remaining, it was 20-14, as East had fought back. Max Phillips, Cameron George, Cale Thatcher-Hodge and Frazer Redman scored the tries, with Kelyn Jude-Hobbs kicking two goals.
Then with eight minutes remaining, player of the match Nottingham scored his second with Parrott converting before a late winner from Ceirion Emment-Jones and Parrott’s final goal.
EAST DEVELOPMENT U14: Harri Tomlins (Aber Valley Wolves), Aiden Williams (Torfaen Tigers), Joe Salter (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Mason Hughes (Aber Valley Wolves), Danny Bennett (Torfaen Tigers), Parker-Jai Jones Murphy (South Wales Jets, capt), Hedd Simons (Torfaen Tigers), Declan Kidley (Aber Valley Wolves), Rhod Tucker (South Wales Jets), Solomon Bowditch (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Luca Evans (Torfaen Tigers), Ioan Watcyns (Torfaen Tigers), Louis Shroll (Torfaen Tigers). Subs: Max Gay (Torfaen Tigers), Iowan Griffiths (Aber Valley Wolves), Thomas Duggan (Torfaen Tigers), Iestyn Outing (Aber Valley Wolves), Lochlan Blakemore (South Wales Jets), Syd James (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Efan Betts (South Wales Jets)
WEST DEVELOPMENT U14: Max Fuller (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Brody Thomas (West Wales Jets), Isaac Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Aaron Fry (Rhondda Outlaws), Jegan Diouf (Swansea Rams), Alex Davies (Swansea Rams), Harry Bloodworth (Rhondda Outlaws), Seth Beynon (Swansea Rams), Carter Jones (Swansea Rams), Olly Midwinter (Swansea Rams), Olly Steinman (Swansea Rams), William Pincott-Davies (Swansea Rams), Alfie David (Bridgend Blue Bulls). Subs: Dafydd Williams (Swansea Rams), George Royle (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Zacharia Wilcox (Swansea Rams), Dion Williams (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Caden Phillips-Evans (Swansea Rams), Osian Griffiths (West Wales Jets), Logan Evans (Swansea Rams)
Referee: Misa Vakdranu
EAST WALES ORIGIN U14: Will Viant (Aber Valley Wolves), Roman Richards (Aber Valley Wolves), Tristan Nicholls (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Will Evans (South Wales Jets), Caiden Allen-Ridge (Torfaen Tigers), Lewis Watkins (South Wales Jets), Joe Underwood (Torfaen Tigers), Archie Watkins (Torfaen Tigers), Mason Jude Lloyd (South Wales Jets, capt), Jay Ivins-Actie (South Wales Jets), Archie Williams (Torfaen Tigers), Hywel Evans (Aber Valley Wolves), Jaxon Jones (Aber Valley Wolves), Subs: Caden Ash (Torfaen Tigers), Theo Williams (Aber Valley Wolves), Zachary Weston (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Giuseppe Smith (South Wales Jets), Declan Kidley (Aber Valley Wolves), Joshua Lewis (South Wales Jets), Charles Dix (South Wales Jets)
WEST WALES ORIGIN U14: Logan Caviel (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Macauley Phillips (Swansea Rams), Eden Wong (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Jacob Lloyd-Williams (Swansea Rams), Hefin Jones (West Wales Jets), Callum Brown (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Dylan O’Kelly (Swansea Rams), Reggie Lynch (Swansea Rams), Ollie Bayliss (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Parker Morris (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Ethan Griffiths (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Osian Morgan (Swansea Rams), Carter Jenkins (Swansea Rams). Subs: Joey Cox (Swansea Rams), Cai Canton (West Wales Jets), Devan Edwards (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Harry Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Alex Griffiths (Swansea Rams), Jay Dancer (Swansea Rams), Finley Miller (Swansea Rams).
Referee: Ieuan Griffiths
EAST WALES DEVELOPMENT U16 :Dylan Little (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Emrys Watkins (Torfaen Tigers), Harri Dearden (Aber Valley Wolves), Seb Byers (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Riley Williams (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Jacob Stiles (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Joshua Hancock (Aber Valley Wolves), Jack Tennant (Torfaen Tigers, capt), Zander Treherne (Aber Valley Wolves), Harry Evans (South Wales Jets), Luca Kilday (Torfaen Tigers), Maximus Baker (Torfaen Tigers), Evan Jenkins (Cardiff Blue Dragons). Subs: Mason Partridge (South Wales Jets), Shane Small (South Wales Jets), Dontae Malcolm (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Sonnie Boe Sargent (Aber Valley Wolves), Shawn Davies (Torfaen Tigers), Luke Edwards (South Wales Jets), Shamad Irewole (Cardiff Blue Dragons).
WEST WALES DEVELOPMENT U16
Jaxon Robins (Aberavon Fighting Irish), Sam Evans (Rhondda Outlaws), Iestyn Elcock (West Wales Jets), Iestyn Ede (Rhondda Outlaws), Brandon Lee (Rhondda Outlaws), Ruben Main (Rhondda Outlaws), Riley Allen (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Nye Hopkins (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Henry Davies (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Charlie-Joe Evans (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ben Hogan (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Cori George (West Wales Jets), Louis Johnson (Aberavon Fighting Irish). Subs: Ioan Jones (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ryan Thomas (West Wales Jets), Danny Thomas (Swansea Rams), Matthew Anderson (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Osian Rees (West Wales Jets), Riley Evans (West Wales Jets), Oliver Butcher (West Wales Jets).
Referee: Viv Treherne
EAST WALES ORIGIN U16: Mo rgan Jones (Torfaen Tigers, capt),Toby Miller (South Wales Jets), Max Phillips (Torfaen Tigers), Miles Plummer (Aber Valley Wolves), Cameron George (Torfaen Tigers), Kelyn Jude-Hobbs (Torfaen Tigers), Cole Crimmins (South Wales Jets), Ollie Mitchell (Torfaen Tigers), Josh Johnson (Torfaen Tigers), Dewi Savage (Torfaen Tigers), Cale Thatcher-Hodge (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Oliver Strickland (Aber Valley Wolves), Danny Jones (Torfaen Tigers). Subs: Frazer Redman (Torfaen Tigers), Alfie Davies (Aber Valley Wolves), Thoe Patterson-Phillips (Aber Valley Wolves), Jack Tennant(Aber Valley Wolves), Connor Hawkey (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Jac Thomas (Cardiff Blue Dragons), Mason Plummer (Aber Valley Wolves).
WEST WALES ORIGIN U16: Rhys Anthony (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Jacob Maund (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Cole Evans (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ceirion Emment-Jones (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Nico Miguel (Swansea Rams), Will Mordecai (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Jack Parrott (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Charlie Noakes (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Zac Nottingham (West Wales Jets, capt), Caden Templar (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Ellis McGregor (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Joseff Keating (Cynon Valley Cavaliers), Jack Field (Cynon Valley Cavaliers). Subs: Kitson Smithers-Jones (Aberavon Fighting Irish), Kobe Crowley (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Joseph Bailey (Swansea Rams), Owen Prince (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Luis Towell (Bridgend Blue Bulls), Llyr Richards (West Wales Jets), Calum Woolfe (West Wales Jets)
Referee: Ieuan Griffiths
