Nuthall gets the nod.

[Ponty.net] PONTYPRIDD flyer Matthew Nuthall has been rewarded for his season's form with a place in the Wales U21 team to face Italy on Friday night in Naples.

Nuthall's ability to cover the threequarter positions has been of benefit to both the Pontypridd Academy U21 team and the Senior Squad.

His potential has been noted by the Wales selectors, although Nuthall has little to prove after his display in the U21 demolition job on New Zealand back in the Autumn tests where he scored a wonderful try.

His Pontypridd teammate and fellow try-scorer on that day, Geraint Morris, has been relegated to the bench, although flanker Mark Lewis retains his position.

Wales Under-21: G Swales (Swansea); M Nuthall (Pontypridd), D Bishop (Bridgend), G Henson (Swansea), J Vaughton (Swansea); N Robinson (Cardiff), M Phillips (Llanelli); P James (capt, Neath), K Crawford (Ebbw Vale), R Thomas (Newport), B Griffiths (Llanelli), J Thomas (Swansea), M Lewis (Pontypridd), J Malpas (Cardiff), R Pugh (Swansea).

Reps: S Williams (Newport), W Kershaw-Naylor (Bristol), R Richards (Neath), G Morris (Pontypridd), H Bennett (Swansea), C Stamatakis (Cardiff), R Sowden-Taylor (Cardiff).