Ospreys number eight Morgan Morse will become Wales’ most capped player at under-20 level after being named to face hosts South Africa in the seventh-place final of the U20 World Championship on Friday (kick-off 13:00 BST).
He will surpass ex-Scarlets winger Ryan Conbeer’s record of 23 caps when he takes to the DHL Stadium pitch in Cape Town on Friday.
Wales head coach Richard Whiffin has made six changes to his starting line-up from the defeat to Australia, four in the pack and two in the backs.
Josh Morse and Kian Hire return to the front row in place of Jordan Morris and Sam Scott.
Cardiff Met second row Gethyn Cannon gets his first start of the tournament with Nick Thomas dropping to the bench, while Cardiff’s Lucas de la Rua returns to openside flanker in place of Harry Beddall.
Dragons’ Harri Ford replaces Harri Wilde who drops to the bench, while winger Walker Price gets his first taste of action having joined the squad after injury to Dragons team-mate Harry Rees-Weldon.
“It’s like an end of an era as this will be the last time this group will be together,” said Whiffin.
“Some boys graduate and some boys will come back next year so this may be the last time some of these guys play with each other, so hopefully they can finish this two-year campaign off in a good way with a great performance.
“This is a great opportunity for the boys to take on the home team in their own back yard in the final game of the campaign. We’ve challenged the boys to come away with a southern hemisphere scalp and I know they will give it their best shot.
“It’s great to see Morgan get to 24 caps for Wales U20s. The fact he is going to break the record with another year to go shows his dedication from a young age.
“His ability to step up to the demands and, as he has got older, his dominance in games has become more prevalent. I’m really pleased for him.”
South Africa name an injury-hit side, with four players – loose forwards Tiaan Jacobs (ankle) and Thabang Mphafi (concussion), as well as outside backs Michail Damon (groin) and Likhona Finca (hand) – ruled out, joining earlier casualties Reno Hirst, Adam de Waal and JC Mars on the injury list.
Junior Boks coach Bafana Nhleko said: “We have to live with the pain of a disappointing campaign and the frustration of small margins, it was not through a lack of effort or preparation.
“Wales will be equally motivated to end the tournament on a positive note, so we must be ready and focused to meet their challenge. We hope to deliver a performance that reflects the group’s abilities and win back some pride.”
