Christ Tshiunza may have been called into the Wales squad via Exeter University but he isn’t the only Welsh second row in the west of England with a big future.
So believes the university’s head of rugby Keith Fleming, a man who has brought through the likes of Henry Slade, Sam Skinner and Jack Maunder, all of whom have gone on to play international rugby at senior level.
Tshiunza has made it into Wayne Pivac’s Wales squad at the age of just 19.
Alongside him in the second row when Exeter University beat Cardiff University 38-7 on Wednesday - a game which took place an hour after Pivac's squad unveiling - was Dafydd Jenkins.
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He is the 18-year-old son of former Neath and Swansea No. 8 Hywel Jenkins.
Jenkins senior once featured for Wales in an uncapped match against the USA, and Jenkins junior - a try scorer against Cardiff - is also destined to go far in the game, according to Fleming.
"Dafydd has a lot going for him," Fleming told WalesOnline.
"Not only is he a capable lineout operator, he also has a good rugby brain and he’s building a harder edge into his game.
"He’s another lighthouse.
"We played him and Chris Tshiunza in the second row against Cardiff University in the week and to have two lads who are 6ft 7in or thereabouts packing down alongside each other gave us quite an engine room.
"We’re all delighted for Chris to make the Wales squad.
"I’d expect Dafydd to go all the way, as well. He’s a very talented boy."
Jenkins featured in the Ospreys’ academy before heading for the west of England. Like Tshiunza and fellow Wales U20s players Oli Burrows and Dan John, he is on the books of Exeter Chiefs as well as playing for the university.
At 6ft 7in and 17st 11lb, Jenkins packs a physical presence but he is also athletic and good around the field. During the U20s Six Nations in the summer, he averaged close on 12 tackles a game and also showed an appetite for turnovers.
That said, Fleming and his staff are having to encourage the likes of Tshiunza and Jenkins to adjust their tackle techniques to avoid falling foul of the laws.
"It’s becoming tougher and tougher for the big guys," said Fleming.
"With the tackle laws nowadays, there’s a danger of taller players being penalised for going high, so we are encouraging them to chop tackle.
"We are trying to coach the big fellas to go really low when bringing opponents down."
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Exeter University’s game with their Cardiff counterparts was their first home BUCS Super Rugby match since February 2020. It was also Tshiunza’s debut in the competition.
Wales see the Whitchurch High School product as a player with immense potential and Fleming is of the same mind.
"He gets better and better every time he goes on the park," the Devonian star-maker said.
"I tell him to go out there and take every opportunity with both hands.
"He’s already featured for the Chiefs and it was great to see him playing for the university in the week. Getting minutes under his belt will be a big help.
"Chris is a big, physical lad who will give every team he plays for go-forward as his confidence grows.
"He is good in the air and technically very good lineout-wise.
"What’s his best position? The way the game is going, it’s good that he can play at lock and at blindside.
"He’s equally at home in either position.
"I think he’s a hybrid player, though he quite likes playing six, to be honest.
"What I particularly like about him is he’s very coachable. He’s a young guy who takes on board lessons."
Oli Burrows, meanwhile, is a hooker who doesn’t miss many tackles and has an accurate throwing arm, according to Fleming. At 6ft 2in and 17st 3lb, the Neath product is also a powerful specimen.
But perhaps Fleming lights up most when discussing the fourth Welsh musketeer in the university set-up, 20-year-old Dan John.
The son of former Wales scrum-half Paul John, the back-three man is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him player, with a background in athletics. He attended Millfield School, alma mater of Gareth Edwards, and also played football for Cardiff City’s academy.
He has played wing, outside centre and full-back in rugby and is a player to watch out for.
"Dan is a special talent," Fleming said.
"He’s quick but he’s also very deft with what I call ghost runs.
"You see him running into a defensive line and you think nothing much is going to happen, but then, lo and behold, he comes out the other side.
"He has great feet and he beats people with his acceleration.
"What’s nice about him is that not only is he super-talented, he’s a great kid, too."
All appear in safe hands with Fleming.
He presides over a cosmopolitan rugby set-up with players from the likes of England, Scotland and Italy but the Welsh contingent are more than holding their own.
"We have a good crop of players," Fleming added.
"The pandemic has deprived a lot of them of rugby over the past 18 months but we’re up and running again now and, hopefully, the boys will show what they can do."
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