It isn’t quite a rerun of the famous scene in the film Rocky where the Sylvester Stallone boxing character trains by repeatedly pounding meat in an abattoir.
But there is still something refreshingly old school about the way Ben Williams has made it into the Wales U20 rugby squad.
“He’s one of the hardest-working players I’ve seen,” said the blindside flanker’s coach at Aberavon RFC, Jason Hyatt.
“His dad used to train him in his garage with old weights.
“Ben hasn’t been spoon fed. He’s had to graft for everything he’s had.”
Williams’ club of origin Gilfach Goch put out a post on social media, saying: “Unbelievable story of development… @benwilliamss7 is a great role model and example for other young players to follow. Never picked for the Rhondda Schools Dewar Shield squad, never picked for any regional u’16s or u’18s squad…just a raw determination to improve & develop.”
To which the back-rower replied: “Best club in the world, thank you.”
The key with Williams is that while he went through his age-grade career without honours, he didn't give up.
Those who know him were impressed by his dedication and his promise on the field soon became apparent.
“Our then flanker Lee Purnell is from Gilfach and he phoned me to say there was a boy in youth who was raw but definitely had something," said Hyatt.
“Lee has been in the game a long time, is very respected and I trust his judgement completely.
“I invited Ben to training and, sure enough, he made an instant impact.
“From his first training session he’d chase everything down. I remember in one session we were having an unopposed game and Stef Andrews scored a try. Ben was crossfield but got there and wiped him out in the corner, much to Stef’s disgust. That underlined what Ben belonged to.
“He’s one of the hardest-working players I’ve seen and he has a great attitude. He’s hungry and his mind is like a sponge. He’s constantly asking questions and working on his game. He’s still developing match-understanding but what he has is this desire to carry ball, get over the gain-line and put in hard tackles.
“It's a plus, too, that he's one of the nicest guys you could meet.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting his mum and his family and they are lovely people.”
Hyatt sees the 20-year-old's story as potentially providing encouragement for other teenagers. “I’ve seen a lot of youngsters who don’t get selected for their region and age-grade teams and they become despondent and fall away, thinking ‘I’m 16 years of age, I haven’t got too far, I can’t be good enough’," he said.
“Ben had no recognition in junior rugby at all.
“But he’s still doing really well.
“We all know how important regional academies are in the way rugby is organised in Wales today, but we shouldn’t forget that every player who goes on to play for the national team and the British and Irish Lions once started at a junior club who played a key role in nurturing and developing interest.
“In that respect, Gilfach Goch have to take huge credit.
“Ben’s dad Andrew Williams coached him from the age of eight, while Josh Hughes and Matthew Parker helped him at Gilfach as well. They all took Ben through junior rugby and into youth rugby.
“I put him on a development contract at Aberavon and he spent the season playing for Gilfach and also turning out for us. He also played a couple of games for Swansea on permit when we tried to help them out when they were short in the back row.
“He came back to us then and on the back of his performances for Aberavon he got contracted to the Ospreys for an academy role. He still works in the building industry for PJ Saunders Limited and his boss Peter Saunders is fully supportive, with Ben training four mornings a week with the Ospreys.
“It’s a story that provides hope for youngsters who don’t win age-grade honours and at first don’t make regional academies. Get stuck in with the youth team at your club. If you’re playing well enough, a Premiership club will pick you up and you can go onto the next stage then.
“It’s good for youngsters to know that there’s more than one route into senior rugby. It’s not one size fits all and it doesn’t matter if you don’t tick every box at 14 or 15.
“The key is there’s a pathway in place for the likes of Ben to come through.”
Aberavon helped put Wales forward Jac Morgan back on track after he left the regional game early in his career and see themselves as furthering Williams’ development after the work put in by Gilfach.
“A lot of people compare the semi-professional game to the professional game,” said Hyatt.
“I don’t think that’s fair.
“It’s like comparing an amateur boxer with a professional boxer.
“Rugby is about progression and one of the Welsh Premiership’s key roles in my eyes is to identify players who will make it in the pro game and then provide them with opportunities to have game-time in a competitive setting. We then do all we can to help those guys by developing their rugby skills and building their character.
“That’s exactly what has happened with Ben.
“He’s had that opportunity and he’s taken it with both hands.
“We did it with Jac Morgan and we have helped in the past with the likes of Adam Beard and Justin Tipuric.
“Ben’s ripping it up.
“It’s still early days and a lot has to happen, but if he keeps developing he could go all the way.”
Williams' first goal will be to make a mark in the U20 Summer Series that Wales will compete in this summer, with Byron Hayward's squad sharing a pool with Scotland, Italy and Georgia.
"It's a good opportunity for him," said Hyatt. "My advice would be just to play his normal game. If he does that, he'll be more than OK."
