BYRON Hayward has pledged to adhere to the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ after being promoted to head coach of Wales Under-20s.

The 44-year-old from Blaina will be in the hotseat after spending the last two years as assistant to Danny Wilson, who is stepping down to concentrate on his job as Scarlets forwards coach.

Hayward has been an influential figure in Wales’ successful Junior World Championships campaigns of the last two years when they finished third (and beating New Zealand) in 2012 and as runners-up last month.

Now the buck stops with the former full-back, who played for Newbridge, Ebbw Vale and Pontypool as well as Gloucester and Sale.

He will tinker with the model that has brought success but won’t be making drastic changes after earning his promotion.

“There will some changes in terms of how we play the game but it won’t be a million miles away from what we’ve done in the past because it’s proved successful and it would be crazy to change,” he said.

“They are big boots to fill but I’ve had a quite a bit of experience over the years and learnt a lot off Danny.

“He was very encouraging and his assistant coaches all had an input. We helped create the culture and the environment for the young players to thrive.

“When me and Danny came together we had the same beliefs, we were very strict and hard on the players in terms of discipline and standards.

“We differed in terms of how we want to play the game and I think that is healthy, one of the reasons we were successful was because we had a lot of debate and challenged each other.

“I will be encouraging my coaches to do exactly that, to challenge my thinking.”

Wales, who were pipped to both the Six Nations and Junior World Championship titles by England, will no longer be dark horses on the international stage.

Over the past two seasons they have claimed the scalps of Baby Blacks and South Africa, meaning they will under close scrutiny in next year’s tournament in New Zealand.

“There will be pressure and expectation after finishing third in 2012 and second this year but that responsibility to deliver is why we play sport,” said Hayward, who will copy Wilson in prioritising the global tournament ahead of the Six Nations.

“I don’t see why we can’t enjoy more success, especially if the new group of players work as hard in New Zealand as the ones that did so well in South Africa and France.”

Hayward will be assisted by defence coach Richard Hodges and forwards coach Ioan Cunningham with Mark Taylor remaining as team manager.