A new schools rugby tournament is set to dominate the headlines this December as Grey College host the Global School's Challenge.
The World Rugby U20 Championship has a proven pedigree as a breeding ground for Test stars of the future, with close to 1,000 players using the competition as a stepping stone to higher honours since the first tournament was held in 2008.
A year ago, 19-43 was the margin of defeat which left them contesting the fifth to eighth placings on match day four. That 24-point gap had closed on Tuesday afternoon, the Welsh losing by 18 in an 11-29 loss.
With Pool A leaders New Zealand expected to run up a big score in the 7pm kick-off in Stellenbosch and progress with a total of 15 match points, the French had a head-to-head shootout with the Welsh to decide second place in the pool.
France U20 faces a major challenge: a formidable Wales team with potentially disastrous weather conditions.
His exotic-sounding name is rooted in the Iberian Peninsula as both his parents hail from Spain, but he is very much a born-and-raised Welsh boy even though he can speak Spanish and the family used to head south from Cardiff twice a year on holiday.
We stand at the start of another huge week of international age-grade rugby, and you can watch it all live and for free on RugbyPass TV.
Lucas de la Rua was the starting Wales No7 on both occasions and his year in between these age-grade World Cup clashes featured a Cardiff first-team debut away to Toulouse last December in the Investec Champions Cup.
The New Zealand U20 have opened their World Championship campaign in South Africa with a 41-34 win over a resilient Wales side.
New Zealand U20 opener their U20 Championship campaign against Wales U20 on Sunday morning (NZST).