Exactly six years ago this month Keelan Giles sat on the Wales bench when they played their annual autumn Test against a so-called second-tier nation.
Understatement of the year alert: It didn’t turn out as he’d have wanted.
A cap didn’t come, with Rob Howley’s side forced to fall-back on a final-minute Sam Davies drop-goal to defeat Japan 33-30 in Cardiff. Amid the stress and mediocrity of a dire team performance, the coaches no doubt felt it wasn’t the time to send on an 18-year-old who had barely been on the senior scene for five minutes.
No matter, felt some: it was only a question of time.
But Giles is still waiting.
In fairness, two major injuries took almost three years out of his career. Encouragingly, the lad who inspired Wales U20s to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016 has returned to his best this season. Against Glasgow Warriors last month, he was timed running at close to 24mph. This writer once had a car that didn’t always get up to that speed.
But a Wales call-up still hasn’t happened.
Here’s the thing about Giles, though: after the sporting traumas he has been through, he is just happy to be playing rugby.
Not for him complaining about being left out of national squads.
He’d want to be involved, for sure.
But the Ospreys pay his wages and he’s doing something he has always wanted to do, so he isn't going to spend every waking minute fretting about matters beyond his control.
“The biggest thing I took from my time out injured was to enjoy myself when I’m on the pitch, because you never know what’s around the corner,” he told WalesOnline.
“That’s the way I look at it.
“You can’t worry about things you have no control over.
“Of course, everyone wants to play for their country, but, ultimately, it’s up to selectors.
“If a call comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“The main thing is to be happy and enjoy yourself."
A turning point for Giles in his long-haul battle to return to peak fitness and form came when he went to Ireland during last year’s Six Nations. You can read here what Toby Booth thinks of Giles.
Most people find their way back from Dublin during the Six Nations with hangovers.
Giles didn’t.
He spent a week in the Irish capital putting an edge on the fitness work he had been doing at home.
“We had a break last year when the Six Nations was on and the club managed to take me over to Dublin to do some work there with physios,” he said.
“I had a screening, to see how I was moving and to see what weaknesses there were in my body. I spent a week over there which was really intense — 8am starts, 5pm finishes, rehab work. It helped me massively. When I came back I used those exercises in the gym. I was able to hit personal bests in my speed work.
“Since the trip to Dublin, my body has been in the best place since I started in professional rugby.
“It’s the quickest I’ve ever run in a game and in training.”
Exactly how fast is he now? “The metric we use is metres per second. I think I hit 10.68 metres per second in the Glasgow game,” said Giles.
“So my body’s in a good place, my mind is as well.”
How does Giles compare to, say, Louis Rees-Zammit in the speed stakes? Well, the Wales man was timed at 10.73 metres per second against Fiji last year — marginally faster than Giles against Glasgow, but there's not a lot in it.
That match with Glasgow saw Giles score two tries, with the first seeing him brilliantly finish at the flag, skipping past the defence before acrobatically touching down in the tightest of spaces, and the second involving a chase and collect that took improbable speed and skill.
If Italy's brilliant Ange Capuozzo has struck a few blows for the light brigade in Test rugby, this was Giles doing the same at regional level.
His time on the sidelines must have seemed a long time ago during that game against Glasgow.
He boasts a sunshine personality, but being unable to do what you are good at can prompt bouts of self-doubt in even the most positive.
How was he during the depths of his injury struggles?
“There was never a point when I felt I might have to finish,” he said.
“But you do start to wonder if you’re going to be as good as you were before. ‘Will I be just as quick? Will I be just as agile? Will I be able to get back in the team?’ Stuff like that.
”You just have to do your best to stay upbeat. At the time I was working with Gareth Anscombe and Cory Allen, both of whom were coming back from injuries themselves, and I’d previously been alongside Dan Baker.
“They’re great boys to lift you.
“You just have to try to build confidence.”
Toby Booth’s squad are without a shedload of Wales players during the short tour of South Africa they are currently undertaking, so youth is being given a fling.
“We’re just seeing what we can get out of it,” said Giles.
“It’s an opportunity for us and for the young boys who may not have played against South African sides before.
“The main thing is we do our absolute best and enjoy ourselves as well.”
Perspective.
It's an important quality.
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