Scott Quinnell played his last game for Wales when Aaron Wainwright was five years of age, so it’s unclear if the Dragons youngster got to fully appreciate the thunder the big man brought to his rugby — when Quinnell carried ball opponents tended to run for cover rather than run towards the 6ft 4in, 19st west Walian.
There is a clip on YouTube of Quinnell demonstrating a charge forward during the making of the TV programme School of Hard Knocks. The poor sap holding the tackle bag is smashed aside and probably left thinking that short of bringing an AK 47 into play there was no way on earth he could have stopped the crazed Welshman who has just run at him.
Once, the true test of courage for a player was to stand his ground and field an up and under at Pontypool Park, with the home pack charging at him like hounds from hell.
But attempting a head-on tackle on Quinnell — that took some guts, too.
An endorsement from him counts for something, then, and Wainwright today finds he has one.
The 21-year-old was one of the few outright successes of Wales’ summer campaign. He made 50 hits over three starts, he won line-out ball, he kept going from gun to tape.
He also did something in a one-sided second half against Ireland in Dublin that marked him out as a serious player: he shone in adversity.
Wales were being forced onto the back foot by powerful home ball carrying, but Wainwright kept making tackles. By the time the final whistle had been blown, he had completed 24 hits and missed just one. It was an immense display.
He’s a different type of back rower from Quinnell in his pomp, much different, but the scourge of France in 1994 — THAT try — has seen enough to be hugely impressed.
“He a really good young player,” says Quinnell.
“Not only is he a capable line-out forward, he can carry the ball and he has a big work-rate.
“I think he’ll be a huge success at the World Cup.
“He tackles hard and always gives 100%.
“England have Tom Curry and Sam Underhill in their back row, two big and abrasive all-rounders, but Wainwright is physical, too.
“He’s done really well this summer and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t maintain that form in the coming weeks.”
This interview has been set up for Quinnell to speak about the School of Hard Knocks, which uses sport and other challenging activities to help those participating re-engage with school or find work.
He featured in the TV programme with Will Greenwood, and some of his pep talks to those taking part were inspirational.
Not all his oratory would be pleasing to every ear at a vicarage tea party, with some of it distinctly post-watershed.
But the effect on those listening in School of Hard Knocks is obvious. The wonder is one or two of them weren’t steamed up enough to bowl over the referee when they took the field.
Where did Quinnell learn to speak with such passion? “In Llanelli that’s what you do,” he says.
“You are always told to speak from the heart and tell it as it is.
“Because of my dyslexia in the past I’ve never been able to write anything down, so it’s always come from inside.
“That’s the way I look at it.
“I also look back and one of the great inspirations for me was Ray Gravell.
“Whether he was pitchside, in the changing room or speaking to a group of school kids, the passion that he brought was incredible.
“He was always himself and that’s important, because if you stand up in front of a group of people they want to see the real you and if you are able to convey that, it’s a wonderful skill.
“Ray had it in abundance.
“Even when you think about him you smile.
“That points to the character of the man.
“If you can do anything 10 percent as good as Grav, then you are not going far wrong in life.”
The School of Hard Knocks recently set a world record for the longest game of full-contact rugby, lasting 30.5 hours and raising £50,000 for charity.
“It was an incredible effort,” says Quinnell.
“Rugby is hard enough without playing for 30 hours.
“All credit to the two teams, from the School of Hard Knocks and Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity.
“It just shows if you put your mind to something, you can get it done.
“I enjoyed being part of School of Hard Knocks and using sport to help people onto the right path in life.
“It was fantastic to be able to play a small part in changing some of those guys’ lives and have the opportunity to work with them and see what rugby and sport can do for the better.”
“A lot of those guys will play rugby long after and have a group of people to identify with and show them the values that we have in the game.”
Quinnell played in only one World Cup, in 1999, when Wales reached the quarter-finals, exiting at the hands of Australia.
They have reached the knockout stage every time since, too, bar in 2007 when they lost their way in a classic against Fiji in Nantes. How does the former national captain feel they will do this time.
“I’m optimistic about their prospects,” he says.
“The summer might have been a bit up and down, but it’s Warren Gatland’s last campaign with the players and they’ll all know what they are doing.
“They train incredibly hard and while they have had a few injuries, it’s still a very strong squad led by maybe the best player who’s ever worn the Wales jersey in Alun Wyn Jones.
“The track record at recent World Cups is also good under Gatland.
“If you put all those things together and stuck them in a pot, there’s a fair chance success would be the outcome.”
