HIGHLY-RATED Ebbw Vale boss Jason Strange has joined the Wales Under-20s management team for the Six Nations.

The former fly-half will combine his duties with the Steelmen and his teaching work at Ebbw Fawr Learning Community with working with the next generation of Welsh talent as attack and kicking coach.

There is a new-look management team following the summer departure of head coach Byron Hayward, who left to become defence coach at the Scarlets.

His assistant Richard Hodges has stayed on and has been joined by Strange and Welsh Rugby Union skills coach Geraint Lewis and Chris Horsman while Mark Taylor remains as team manager and national academy boss Allan Lewis coordinating

Strange is relishing the chance to hone his management skills at Wales' Vale of Glamorgan headquarters.

"It's a really exciting opportunity," said Strange. "I am joining a really good group of coaches and it will be great to develop my own career by rubbing shoulders with the senior national coaches.

"There is a lot of talent in this squad with the likes of Tyler Morgan, Harri Keddie and Barney Nightingale from the Dragons and I will hopefully help them maximise their potential."

The move will not affect Strange's role with the Premiership title-chasing Ebbw Vale but his hectic diary will mean that the Steelmen bring in another skills coach to work alongside his right-hand man Duane Goodfield.

"It will be demanding, and on the weekend of our game with England (on Saturday, February 7) I will be heading straight back down from Colwyn Bay for our game with Cross Keys on the Sunday, but if you are ambitious you have to put in the work," said Strange.

The squad were pulled out of Premiership action for a training camp last Saturday but will be available for Swalec Cup rugby this weekend.

They face another three-day camp next week as preparations intensify for the mouth-watering tournament opener with world champions England at Parc Eirias.

"The England match and the rest of the Six Nations is just around the corner and we have a third training camp in a fortnight," said former Wales centre Taylor.

"England are Junior World Championship winners so the opening match will be a real barometer as to where we are as a squad, but a challenge to look forward to as we look to develop another raft of talented young players."

Wales' Under-20s fixtures: England (h) – Saturday, February 7; Scotland (a) – Friday, February 13; France (a) – Saturday, February 28; Ireland (h) – Friday, March 13; Italy (a) – Friday, March 20