LONG READ How good are the uncapped youngsters attracting serious attention in Welsh rugby?

A reporter once directed a question at the then Wales captain Mike Watkins which on the surface required a fair amount of thought to answer.

“What of the future for Welsh rugby?”  posed the chap.

The reply, however, came without a moment’s hesitation. “Over to the Angel for a lot of pints,” said Watkins.

Simpler days.

Back in the present such a response probably wouldn’t work, what with Wales on a run of nine straight defeats and the regions having completed another difficult campaign amid well-documented budget cuts and speculation that one of the four teams might even be done away with.

Any fair reading of the situation might deem the outlook challenging for all concerned.

Of course, the worst may not happen. Wales’s sequence of losses surely has to end at some point – hasn’t it? – and an arrangement may eventually be found so that the professional teams can be properly competitive again, albeit Jacob Rees-Mogg may win Olympic gold in the Greco-Roman wrestling first.

Also, and despite the almost unrelentingly dark clouds, promising players do continue to show themselves in Welsh rugby.

How good are some of the ones who’ve been attracting attention of late?

Here’s an assessment of some of the best.

Ryan Woodman (Dragons)

He’s 6ft 5in, a leader and a grafter who’s good over the ball and poses a lineout threat.

Oh, and he can also operate at lock and at blindside flanker and calls lineouts.

What’s not to like?

Very little.

The Dragons back-rower skippered Wales at the recent U20 World Cup and has been strongly backed to make the senior squad. “I’d stick my life on it. He will be playing for Wales at the next World Cup,” former Wales U20 head coach Byron Hayward is on record as saying.

Woodman’s first job will be to stay injury free and make a significant mark for the Dragons.

But with his size and mobility around the park, it would be a surprise if he failed to make it to the very top.

Verdict: He has ‘future Wales international’ written all over him.

Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff)

Those who feel there’s room in the game for inside centres who can unpick locks rather than simply batter down doors might be encouraged by the news that one with a more subtle approach is being strongly tipped to prosper in the Welsh game.

Steffan Emanuel is only 18 but there is a belief that the former Millfield captain could go far. “He reminds me of a New Zealand second five-eighth. Not only can he pass smoothly and accurately, he can also kick out of hand and thinks quickly. He makes good decisions and always seems to have time on his side. He is class.”

The above observation came from a WRU insider after the recent U20 World Cup. It is by no means isolated praise of a teenager who returned to Wales this summer with Cardiff. The region’s development chief Gruff Rees has spoken of Emanuel’s ‘wonderful’ skill-set and the youngster captained Wales in the U18 Six Nations festival in Parma in the spring, with his team narrowly failing to wrap up a triple crown as they lost 36-35 to England after wins over Ireland and Scotland.

Verdict: Expect Cardiff to bring him through at the right pace, not expecting too much too soon, but there are high hopes Emanuel will prove the genuine article.   

Dan Edwards (Ospreys)

He had started just three games of senior rugby prior to taking the field for the Ospreys against Ulster in February, but after he kicked a final-seconds drop goal to secure a 19-17 win for his side that afternoon, everywhere you looked on social media you were bumping into people calling for the Cwmavon product to be called up by Wales.  All were looking for the next big thing, perhaps even convinced they had found him. ’Twas ever thus in Welsh rugby.

But it is still early days and Edwards has had the occasional quiet game interspersed with his headline-grabbing efforts. He did finish the campaign with a strong effort in the Judgement Day clash against Cardiff, though, bringing the Ospreys’ followers to their feet with a back-of-the-hand pass to set up a try for Justin Tipuric and a flighted ball over the top that put Luke Morgan over in the corner.

Nor were those isolated moments of quality. Edwards kicked well out of hand and exercised nice control while showing a willingness to play with adventure when opportunities arose.

Wales are searching for someone to claim the fly-half jersey after a year that has seen them hand the No. 10 shirt to six different players. Maybe in time Edwards will find an opportunity comes his way, but, right now, he needs to bank as many game-minutes as he can with the Ospreys. Patience can reap rewards.

Verdict: That he is a talent isn’t in doubt, but he is still developing and the pity is there’s no Wales A team for him to show what he can do. That said, his blend of boldness and class is likely to take him a long way. Watch this space.

Macs Page (Scarlets)

Former Wales international Adam Warren is known to be an admirer of the youngster over whom he has kept a watchful eye at Welsh Premiership champions Llandovery.

But he isn’t alone in identifying promise in Page, with the Pembrokeshire product boasting speed and quick footwork.

So impressive was he during the recent U20 World Cup that he made the official team of the tournament.

The former Swansea City academy footballer operated largely in the centre this summer but can also play wing, where he could be used by the Scarlets in the coming campaign.

Verdict: With lashings of X-factor, the west Walian seems on course to do a job for the Scarlets. Other doors could open down the line, but his first challenge will be to settle at regional level.

Theo Cabango (Cardiff)

Had he stayed fit, the Cardiff player may have made Wales’s squad for the tour of Australia earlier this summer. His form certainly appeared to merit such a call. There were two tries against Ulster and a peach of a score in the Judgement Day clash with the Ospreys. Having built himself up during a layoff caused by a shoulder injury, Cabango was proving more difficult to stop than ever, with the 5ft 9in, 13st 7lb player able to generate impressive speed and power via his compact frame.

But a hamstring injury in the Ospreys game ended his hopes of making Warren Gatland’s squad.

It may prove an elevation merely delayed if Cabango can pick up where he left off on returning in the new season.

Verdict: He needs the injury gods to turn their attention away from him. Should that happen, Cardiff’s pocket rocket could interest the national selectors sooner rather than later.

Jordan Morris (Dragons) and Josh Morse (Scarlets)

Two loosehead props here, albeit with different strengths. Former back-rower Morris is an explosive ball-carrier who can turn a game with his ability to cross the gain-line: after he came on against Italy in the U20 Six Nations last term, Wales went on to score 22 unanswered points, not least because they were finally able to force the opposition onto the backfoot. As an 11-year-old Cwmbran schoolboy playing for Pontypool Schools, Morris scored 27 tries in 20 games, smashing Taulupe Faletau’s record in the process. His challenge is to develop as a scrummager. If the Cardiff Met student does that, Welsh rugby could have a serious front-row prospect on its hands.

A quirky fact is that the youngster from the Dragons region is a vegetarian who has to liaise with nutritionists over his diet.

Morse’s big plus is his work in the set-piece. He is big and powerful and seen as a player who is going to emerge at the Scarlets. He is also keen to learn. Told he has been too upright in his carrying, he has worked to rectify the issue and showed signs of improvement at the U20 World Cup.

Verdict: Wales need quality props to emerge and there are high hopes these two may fit the bill.

Harri Deaves (Ospreys)

How much does he have to offer?

We’ll let the man in the blue hat talk about the youngster who wears a yellow hat.

Justin Tipuric says Deaves has the potential to win “many, many caps”, describing him as a very good prospect.

Deaves catches the eye with his distinctive yellow scrum cap, but it is his workrate that truly distinguishes him. When he faced Leinster in Dublin in his first season with the Ospreys, he put in 25 tackles, made 11 carries and peeled off a couple of turnovers. The Irish province won with a bit to spare, but the young No. 7 making only his third regional appearance performed as well as anyone else on the field.

He isn’t big but he plays with heart and wouldn’t know a lost cause if it hit him between the eyes.

Verdict: Wales’ riches at openside may count against Deaves, but he would never let any side down.   

Louie Hennessey (Bath)

The Bath player has just completed a fine stint with Wales U20 that saw him distinguish himself as a quick and clever centre.

Sometimes, his penchant for releasing the ball in the tackle can appear risky, but when he gets it right it can ruin an opposition’s defensive structure.

At 6ft 3in and 16st 4lb he can truck play up in midfield but he also has a sharp rugby brain and is capable of moving the ball wide with accurate passing.

But it’s his ability to offload that has marked him out, to the point where one of his efforts as part of a memorable team score for Wales against Ireland in the U20 Six Nations last year led Sonny Williams, the offload king himself, to tweet admiringly about ‘poetry in motion’.

It’s proving something of a slow-burn for Hennessey at Bath, with the youngster yet to start a Premiership game, but his talent isn’t in doubt.

His old Wales U20 midfield mate Harri Ackerman is another player worth watching, albeit he has been unlucky with injuries.

Verdict: Once Hennessey gets a break in senior rugby, watch him motor.  

Morgan Morse (Ospreys)

Save the best for last? The growing Morgan Morse fan club would probably see it that way.

And it seems reasonable to assume such a body will only continue to increase in numbers.

For 19-year-old Morse has just completed another hugely promising season which ended with the Cwmtwrch RFC product banking his 24th cap at U20 level, a Welsh record.

The youngster has the ability to play across the back row, carries strongly, hits hard in defence and achieves turnovers. He also comes up with moments that hugely impact games, the hallmark of a special player.

And he has the right mindset. Barely 16 months ago, Wales U20 were 50 points adrift of their France counterparts when Morse ran 80 metres upfield in pursuit of a kick, shoving an opposition player when he arrived on the scene. “There’s a certain attitude to playing rugby,” former Wales U20 coach Patrick Horgan later said. “Morgan Morse has it; he has a big future.”

Coaches and fellow players speak admiringly of Morse never giving up. He is also regularly one of the first into the analysis room after a match to see what went right and what went wrong with his game. And while he produces showreel plays, he never seems happier than when he is in the trenches, grafting for his team.

There is still the odd technical issue to be ironed out, with the likes of Mark Jones and Duncan Jones having apparently done much to help him, while he also has to decide on his best position: Is the 6ft 1in, 16st 7lb player a six, a seven or an eight? It was a question many asked of Colin Charvis throughout his career. History tells us it didn’t hold back the former Swansea, Wales and Lions player, with Charvis excelling whatever number he wore. So far, Morse has been on a similar beat, albeit he is still setting out on his rugby journey.

Verdict: Seeing Morse play for the first time, Ospreys pathway chief Gareth Walters turned around and asked those behind him: “Who the heck is that kid?” The back-rower’s quality stood out like a flare on a dark night. The next step for Morse is to bank more experience at regional level, but at some point Wales are set to come calling.

James Fender (Ospreys)

The lock started last season in such a blaze of form that he’s said to have made his way onto the Wales coaches’ radar. Then injury struck, leaving Fender to sit out the final five months of the campaign.

But at 6ft 7in and 19st 8lb, he is a prospect.

Not only is he secure on his own ball at the lineout, he also poses a threat on opposition possession and is industrious around the field.

Verdict: Wales are building their second-row strength, but if Fender continues his progress after returning from injury expect him to force his way into selection discussions.