Assistant Dragons coach Dai Rees has been re-appointed Wales Sevens head coach and is hoping to take Wales to all eight of the IRB's Sevens Series tournaments for the first time, following an application by the WRU to become a core member of the IRB Sevens Series.

Patrick Horgan has been promoted from Wales Under-19 assistant coach to lead the Wales Under-20 coaching team for the first official Under-20 Six Nations Championships and the inaugural World Junior Championships at under-20 level.

Simon King retains his role as Under-18 head coach and will take his squad to Ireland at Easter for the second Six Nations festival in that age group after a successful tournament for Wales in Glasgow last year.

The Welsh Rugby Union has once again streamlined its elite player development structure at international level in a move which promotes these three sides - Wales Sevens, Wales Under-20 and Wales Under-18 - as the three-pronged playing structure of Wales' elite young players. Wales will no longer field an Under-19 international side.

This change follows last season's decision by the WRU to move from under-21 to under-20 rugby internationally, a shift which has now been adopted at IRB level with the introduction of a World Junior Championships and Junior World Trophy in that age group, replacing both the Under-21 and Under-19 World Championships.

WRU Group chief executive Roger Lewis said: 'We showed last season that we are not afraid to be bold when it comes to making the right decisions for the benefit of Welsh rugby and the development of our future professional and international players.

'We finished last season ranked in the top four in the world both at under-19 level and in the IRB World Sevens standings, which is both a reflection of the structures in place now in Wales, underpinned by our pioneering academy system, and a credit to the coaches and players who flew the flag for Wales last season.

'Our players are now fitter, stronger, faster and ready for professional rugby at an earlier age, hence the need to lower the age of our international sides and we welcome the IRB's decision to take the same view and restructure their tournaments.'