Rory Thornton - Wales U20

Wales U20 captain Rory Thornton will link up with the senior Wales squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup following the Junior World Championship. 

The 20-year-old Thornton was named in Warren Gatland’s 47-man group on Monday, with the senior Wales side set for two training camps in Qatar and Switzerland. 

Unsurprisingly, Thornton has begun to make an impression at the Ospreys and will now train alongside the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Jake Ball and Luke Charteris as Gatland and his coaching staff assess all their options before the August 31 deadline to submit the final World Cup squads. 

How Thornton performs therefore in the tournament in Italy will have extra significance over the next few weeks, with the youngster being tipped to follow in the footsteps of Alun Wyn Jones.

"The Ospreys are giving players like Rory the experience of playing in major games and that will only help his development,” Wales U20 head coach Allan Lewis told WalesOnline.

“He also has a great role model in Alun Wyn Jones, an individual who is not just of the world’s best locks but also a leader. He can pass those leadership skills on to Rory.”