Wayne Pivac has been warned to think twice before taking young lock Dafydd Jenkins on tour with Wales to South Africa this summer.
There is speculation that Wales’ head coach is mulling over the prospect of including the 19-year-old in his squad for the three-Test trip, with 6ft 7in, 17st 11lb Jenkins having shone for his club Exeter Chiefs during the Six Nations period.
The Devon team were missing front-liners such Johnny Hill and Jonny Gray, but Jenkins filled the void to the point where Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter described his first full Gallagher Premiership appearance as ‘fantastic’.
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Wales capped fellow another Exeter player, Christ Tshiunza, at 19 last November, but injury has sidelined him since and Baxter has concerns about Jenkins being elevated to the international scene after barely a handful of senior starts.
“I’m not sure whether taking him to South Africa this summer will be the best scenario for him right now,” said Baxter in The Rugby Pape r. “That’s nothing against Daf’s abilities. It’s just that process of is it the right time? Is he the right maturity yet? I wouldn’t want to try and limit Daf, but as you’ve seen with Christ, you’ve got to be physically ready first.
“Your younger, rangier guys do tend to be a little bit more injury prone earlier, when they’re young and when there’s still a bit of growth happening and still a bit of co-ordination dropping into place.
“Christ is another prime example. He pulled a hamstring running down the wing. Dafydd now has played a few games for us and picked up a bit of a niggly shoulder. These are the things that will tend to happen, more with these big guys than in any other position.”
The son of ex-Wales A international Hywel Jenkins, he came to prominence playing for Wales in last year’s U20 Six Nations, with his performance in adversity against Ireland particularly noteworthy. The opposition that day were almost a year older than the Welsh youngsters across the board and posted an emphatic 40-12 win, but the 18-year-old who wore the Wales No. 5 jersey at least went down fighting, acting as his team’s main lineout target, stealing one opposition throw and making 17 tackles. You can read more on Jenkins in an interview here.
Jenkins also competes over the ball and likes to carry. The assumption is if Pivac took him to South Africa it would be to gain experience, but Wales have said nothing official on the matter and while having reservations about the teenager being exposed to the international environment too soon, Baxter does see a significant future for the Porthcawl Comprehensive School product.
“For me Dafydd could easily develop into a player that will have some recognition with Wales down the line,” he said.
Baxter went on to draw similarities between Jenkins and Scotland international Jonny Gray, noting how the 67-cap lock who’s famed for his high tackle counts was more experienced but pointing out that the Welsh youngster often posted many hits in matches without missing any.
According to Baxter, the newcomer has the ability to move from job to the job, so he’s rarely out of position or caught flat footed. The much-respected team boss explained: “People talk about super strengths in players. Dafydd’s super-strength is that he can get on with things. He can shift to the next thing that needs to happen very quickly. That’s very much what I like when I see him.”
