Senior Wales international Christ Tshiunza has been named in Byron Hayward’s squad for the Six Nations Under-20 Summer Series.

Lock Tshiunza won his first cap under Wayne Pivac against Fiji in last year’s Autumn Nations Series and is joined in Wales’ 30-man squad by fellow Exeter Chiefs second row Dafydd Jenkins after both missed the 2022 Six Nations Under-20s.

Cardiff centre Mason Grady also returns for the action taking place in Treviso and Verona between 24 June and 12 July but there is a new captain as centre Joe Hawkins, who has made 17 appearances in the Ospreys midfield, takes the armband from the injured Alex Mann.

Hayward said: “Joe had led the side in the Six Nations when Alex was unavailable due to suspension.

“He’s been here from day one. Him and Alex are very close and are very similar in terms of people on how they drive standards on and off the field.

“I would put Joe in exactly the same category as Alex – a leader, he is going to be a top professional and a future captain for one of the regions.”

“Alex is a massive loss for us. Alex is definitely a leader on the field and off the field. Players have so much respect for him as do the management – it’s just one of those things that happens in rugby, and we’ve just got to put it behind us and move on and move forward.

“But bad news for one player is good news for someone else and now it’s all about looking forward. We’ve got depth in the back row now so it’s a good opportunity for someone else.”

Wales will face Scotland, Georgia and Italy in Pool B before a play-off match to determine their final placing, but Hayward said the squad’s sole focus is the first game against Scotland at Stadio Di Monigo on Saturday 25 June.

“If you get a good win under your belts then you are then up and running,” explained Hayward.

“It will be imperative for us to get that first win and that is all we are focussing on at the moment. We’ve got two games after that, but we won’t even think about them until the Scotland game.

“They play an open attractive brand of rugby so it will be a challenge for us defensively which is a big area we have to pick up from the Six Nations and we’ve highlighted that.

“So I think if we can get our house in order there when and we do have the ball we could cause some damage. Saying that, we have full respect for Scotland as we were 10-0 down in the second half against them in the Six Nations before coming away with a victory.”

The Six Nations U20 Summer Series takes place from 24 June – 12 July. Fans can watch every match live. For more information visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJHm6BFw-9JRA1CMekNLwMg