Eighteen-year-old Leggatt-Jones has been identified as a future Wales star but Anscombe hopes the national side stop picking up-and-coming talents too soon.
“The issues we’ve had in the past, particularly in Wales, are that as soon as you have a good game at URC level, there’s usually an article the next day about them making a Welsh squad,” said Anscombe.
“If you look at the top teams in the world, guys have to have usually one or two good seasons, not one or two games, to be looked at for the next level.
“Probably in the recent past I feel we have been too quick to try and push guys ahead after one or two performances.”
Anscombe used the example of former Cardiff flanker Josh Navidi, who starred for three or four seasons at domestic level before he got a regular run in the Wales side.
“If we can get Welsh international rugby back to the success we’ve had in the previous years, we’re going to need to try and get to the point where we’re asking guys to do it for one or two years,” said Anscombe.
“We need consistency because Test rugby is a different beast.
“Particularly during the last five or six years, we’ve been a bit too quick to pull young guys out of regional rugby and put pressure on their shoulders when they probably haven’t been ready.
“The knock-on effect is that if we don’t get the right results, which we’ve struggled with, you dent these guys’ confidence. It takes a while to bounce back and hurt a few guys in the past.
“Players want to get to the top as quickly as possible, but everyone’s got a duty of care to help extend guys’ careers and make sure they’re in a good position when they get that chance.”
