A PEMBROKESHIRE rugby player is set to start his fifth game of the Under 20s World Championship as Wales aim for a fifth-place finish.

The team face Australia at 1pm UK time on Friday, July 14 for a match that will see the team reach their second-ever highest position in the tournament if they win.

Wales’ previous best finish in the tournament was second place in 2013, losing to England 23-15.

Tenby scrum-half Archie Hughes retains his place in the line-up for the Australia game, which is held in Cape Town.

Hughes, who put in a player-of-the-match performance in the 41-20 win over Japan U20s earlier in the tournament, will be joined in his fifth game in a row by half-back partner Dan Edwards.

Meanwhile Pembrokeshire's Lewis Morgan comes onto the replacements’ bench.

A former pupil of Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, hooker Lewis also played his junior rugby with Tenby RFC. 

In other team news, there are three changes to the team that beat Georgia U20s to earn the shot at fifth place.

Bryn Bradley starts at inside centre, replacing try-scorer Joe Westwood, who drops down to the bench.

Evan Hill comes into the second row, replacing the injured Liam Edwards, with Lucas De La Rua, who scored as a replacement against Georgia, has earned a starting spot on the openside flank.

Head coach Mark Jones was delighted with the win on Sunday but expects the Junior Wallabies to provide an entirely different experience.

He said: “A lot of things came together on what we had been working on – it felt like we had put on a more polished performance together around our whole game.

“Our set piece finished strong against Georgia. Our team management was really good particularly in comparison to the second half against New Zealand.

"The boys learned the lessons, but we know for this match we are going to have to go up another couple of gears again.

“We’re expecting a much more expansive game, not that Georgia aren’t an expansive team but the conditions in Paarl were quite difficult under food and the ball was a little bit greasy so we couldn’t move the ball into space.

“The pitch is going to be wider, drier and the weather prospects a little better overhead. I think Australia will look to move the ball to the edges a lot more efficiently than Georgia, so they provide a different challenge.

"But I’m confident if we get the defence right like we did against Georgia, we can deal with it.”

Wales U20 team: 15 Harri Houston, 14 Tom Florence, 13 Louie Hennessey, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Llien Morgan, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Lucas De La Rua, 6 Ryan Woodman (captain), 5 Jonny Green, 4 Evan Hill, 3 Kian Hire, 2 Lewis Lloyd, 1 Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.

Replacements: 16 Lewis Morgan, 17 Louis Fletcher, 18 Tom Pritchard, 19 Mackenzie Martin, 20 Gwilym Evans, 21 Joe Westwood, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Harri Williams.

Wales U20 v Australia U20 will take place on Friday, July 14 at Athlone Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off is 1pm UK time and will be live on S4C.