Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Warren said he was looking for that someone who had a point of difference, that little something extra'

Aaron Wainwright packs down for Wales during the Guinness Six Nations in Italy last February (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Milling around the Vale of Glamorgan, days before Wales left for Japan, the national football side was sharing the same facilities as their rugby counterparts. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Being ushered across the road were a glut of Ryan Giggs’ starlets including Manchester United’s Dan James, Liverpool’s on-loan Harry Wilson and Chelsea’s on-loan centre back, Ethan Ampadu. 

James, in particular, was boyish and small-boned. More Lilliputian than Gulliver. Within a minute of them passing, Wales rugby squad members rumbled down the road. The difference in physiques was stark. Alongside George North, Jake Ball and Alun Wyn Jones stood a clean-shaven member of the squad. 

With a floppy fringe, wispy moustache and some familiar thick-rimmed glasses stood Aaron Wainwright, looking like an oversized boyband member.

Thankfully for Wales when the clean-cut Wainwright crosses the whitewash, he becomes more Superman than Clark Kent and his dynamism around the park has led to comparisons with two-time Lions captain Sam Warburton. 

(Continue reading below…)

Video Spacer

Assistant coach Robin McBryde has even said he could be better than the former Welsh icon. A year ago, you’d have said McBryde had his tongue firmly in cheek, but such is the back row’s progress McBryde’s boast no longer seems fanciful.

The 22-year-old was Wales’ standout performer in the summer warm-ups which brought a modest return of one win in four. He made over 80 tackles and bravely stood up to an Irish onslaught, notably throwing himself kamikaze-style at the towering James Ryan to chop him metres from the Welsh try line. The consensus was that he looked to the manor born.

ADVERTISEMENT

Picked against Georgia and again for Sunday’s pivotal Australia game, there have been few – if any – murmurs of discontent. Earlier this week, he was withdrawn from action after 50 minutes.

The first support runner on the shoulder of try-scorers Justin Tipuric and Josh Adams, he offered himself as a one-up carrier around the fringes, made his tackles and stopped the gargantuan Mamuka Gorgodze in his tracks, dislodging the ball. His final involvement in a dominant first-half was a flat pass to Hadleigh Parkes on the way to Liam Williams’ score.

Wainright’s rise has been meteoric. When he was first picked for Wales on the summer tour of Argentina 15 months ago, he was barely a household name outside his first club, Old Whitehead’s RFC in Newport. He was playing as a student with Cardiff Met only 23 months ago he was thrown into back row duty for the Dragons thanks to an injury crisis, but his immense work rate started getting him noticed. 

One defensive tracking line against the Scarlets saw him powering past players as if they were stuck in treacle before making a key tackle. It was clear that, athletically, Wainwright could go to the next level. Taking a pew with Wainwright, you couldn’t meet someone more unassuming.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Mr. Wales will win his 130th cap this weekend against Australia #RugbyWorldCup #WALvsAUS

A post shared by RugbyPass (@rugbypass) on

Twenty-two last week, you were soon reminded of his age when his only World Cup memory is Lloyd Williams’ cross-field kick to Gareth Davies to set up a never-to-be-forgotten victory over England in 2015. For context, this writer can remember while in school watching Paul Thorburn knocking over an injury-time conversion for Wales’ third-placed finish in 1987. Coming from such relative obscurity, you wonder what Warren Gatland had seen in Wainwright’s DNA that made him want a closer look.

Smiling, he told RugbyPass: “Warren said he was looking for that someone who had a point of difference, that little something extra.” When pushed on what those are, Wainwright answered without hesitation. “My work rate around the park. He has asked me to focus on my strengths and hopefully I’m showing that.”

Gatland is clearly a fan, talking up Wainright’s explosivity, lineout ability and game intelligence but he knows he has room to improve. He quipped after a stellar, all-action display against England in Cardiff that he was waiting in earnest for Wainwright’s 50-metre break – like, for example, Warburton made against England in 2013. Is ball-carrying an element he can add to his game?

“Well I’m waiting for my 50-metre break too. Like Warren, I’m hoping that comes in one of the games. I would say I’m pretty quick, so I’ll back myself if the field opens up.”

Wainwright’s prodigious lung-capacity has in part been attributed to a youth playing football where he was on Cardiff City and Newport County’s books. Playing as a central midfielder in the box-to-box style of Steven Gerrard or as a playmaker sitting in front of the front four breaking up play and spreading passes around like Andrea Pirlo. 

When it comes to pace, Wainwright says he can hold his own in the Wales back row. “Our GPS unit tracks our velocity but there are a couple of quick boys. James Davies is pretty sharp but I’m up there. Physically, football has really helped with my engine for 80 minutes. You’re used to keeping the legs turning over and I get around the field okay.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Wales looking sharp in their World Cup opener ??????? #RugbyWorldCup

A post shared by RugbyPass (@rugbypass) on

While his international career is still in its infancy, Wainwright is happy to play anywhere and his trajectory has similarities with England’s Tom Curry as a next-generation back row hybrid, so has he settled which number he wants on his back? 

“I’ve played at openside for the Dragons but for the moment blindside is where I’ve played my best rugby for Wales. It’s where my skill set is most suited. One of my weaknesses is the jackal area, which I’m really working on, and we have a lot of strength in depth at seven at the moment, so maybe it wouldn’t favour me. I’d love to have a crack at No8 one day.”

Wainwright knows he has much to learn and is thankful for the guidance more experienced squad members have given him. “All the senior boys are helping mentor me. They talk to me during the game, encouraging me to do things better. Dan Lydiate was really good in the autumn internationals when I trained and worked with him, Justin (Tipuric) and Ross (Moriarty) who are always on hand to answer questions.”

Another player to give nurture to Wainwright’s talent has been his team-mate at the Dragons, Cory Hill, whose importance to Wales was reinforced by his World Cup selection even when carrying the injury that eventually forced him out of the squad this past week. 

“When I first came to the Dragons, Cory was the main person who came to help me with regards to lineout mechanics and structural play. If I wasn’t getting it, he’d sit me down and have a five-ten minute chat with me to help me out. He’s so experienced, a cool head under pressure.”

With Hill having to fly home, Wainwright will be the only Dragons starter at the Tokyo Stadium on Sunday and following a hard-fought win over Georgia, he believes Wales are still on track to get the better Wallabies who have been lying in the long grass. 

Wainwright is poised to meet two icons of the game. “I can’t wait to face David Pocock and Michael Hooper and I’m looking forward to having a good battle with them. If we can move on to the knockouts to face the likes of Kieran Read (and New Zealand), it would be awesome. I’d love to see how far we can go in this World Cup.”

Wainwright still speaks in reverential tones about the game’s superstars but if he maintains his current trajectory, he will soon be viewed as a contemporary in the years to come.

WATCH: Alun Wyn Jones reveals the blood, sweat and tears of Wales’ preparations to take on the Wallabies

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

O
Oh no, not him again? 1 hour ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Borthwick, it's time to own up – Andy Goode Borthwick, it's time to own up – Andy Goode
Search