Of the 26 players that are currently in Italy preparing for the encounter with Zebre in L'Aquila (kick-off 4pm) after being edged out at the death at Benetton last weekend, nine have made their debuts this season while two others, lock Joe Davies and fly-half Arwel Robson, had only previously been involved in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Maddocks has been pleased with the progress of the prospects, and not just in terms of on-field performance.
"We have got a young group and see the developments in them but it's tough if you are not getting the results because everybody looks at it negatively," admitted Maddocks, who joined from Bath in August.
"But we are talking about boys from 17 years of age to 22 and it's a huge batch that will have gained experience, tough times and good."
"We've seen incremental changes and the statistics and data show that we are making small gains and shifts in the young guys. The boys are moving forward," he said.
