Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips hosted the second meeting of the WRU Youth Board last weekend – at Principality Stadium ahead of the Judgement Day IV regional double-header.

The board, made up of under-21-year-olds from around Wales, heard presentations from head of participation Ryan Jones, policy and integrity manager Jeremy Rogers and national women's rugby manager Caroline Spanton, with Pro Rugby Wales CEO Mark Davies also on hand to hear the range of views aired and answer questions.

Jones revealed details of his strategic plan for increasing participation in the game in Wales, Rogers reported on the WRU's anti-doping measures and the challenges presented to the sport in that area and Spanton talked about the recent successful launch of the new girls' rugby clusters.

"We covered a lot of important questions, about participation, about the Women's game and the uptake in the recent Women's rugby cluster project," said board member Calum Haggett, who is from Tonyrefal and a former Wales U18s captain.

"We talked about the transition between youth rugby and senior rugby and how we can get people to carry on playing the game after they finish with youth and how to improve that integration with the senior side at clubs."

Hagget and fellow board member Jo Williams, who is from Treharris, both expressed how well received their appointments to the Youth Board had been in their own communities and both feel they can make a real difference to the future of Welsh rugby.

"We have such a positive influence on the people around us, in my community they want to know what we will be doing, how we will try to increase participation and how much of what we are discussing will actually affect young people throughout Wales," said 18-year-old Williams, who plays rugby for the Dragons.

"You become an access point and people come up to you with suggestions and they feel that there is a genuine difference that can be made in these board meetings," added Haggett.

"…and there is a difference we have a direct line to the head of participation and the chief executive of the WRU so you have a perfect point of contact there in order to be heard."