Jack Walsh speaks with the maturity you'd expect from a young man who has travelled 10,000 miles to further his career.
At the age of 20, the Australian fly-half left the Waratahs setup to join Exeter Chiefs in 2020. Opportunities were limited but in his first year Rob Baxter's side won the Premiership and the European Champions Cup. Not a bad environment in which to further your rugby education.
This summer, the age-grade international became one of the most intriguing signings in Welsh rugby when he was announced as an Ospreys player, joining Toby Booth's outfit on a two-year deal.
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On the decking that overlooks the side's Llandarcy training facility, Walsh, who has settled around the corner from Kiwi Ospreys team-mates Ethan Roots and Michael Collins, can't deny that the move to the northern hemisphere was daunting but, so far, he's happy with how it's going.
“I’d 100 percent say it was daunting," Walsh, who was born in Florida, tells WalesOnline. "I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. But rugby clubs are great communities and if you get to the right places – Chiefs and the Ospreys have been exactly the same – then the boys make you feel welcome.
“It’s definitely a lot easier than people who are perhaps not part of the rugby world because I’m surrounded by like-minded people.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons that I wouldn’t have learned as quickly had I not done it. I’ve not got my mum here to help me out with all the admin and stuff, which I probably would have relied on a bit more back home.
“On the pitch I’ve learned loads and it’s the same off the pitch.”
There are two things he does miss about back home, though, and they are his family and the weather.
"I surf a bit and it’s a lot easier to do that in board shorts than it is in a wetsuit with boots, gloves and a hood!" He laughs.
When the conversation turns to rugby, it's clear that you are in the presence of a budding rugby tactician. Like many Australians, his outlook on the sport is grounded in rugby league, such is the prevalence of the 13-man code Down Under.
He grew up idolising and studying North Queensland Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston. Then there was the razzle dazzle of Benji Marshall, which took the game by storm. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, everyone wants to play like Benji,” smiles Walsh.
League was his sport of choice until the XV-a-side game entered the fray through his teens. Under-18 honours followed and he's also spent time in the Australia Sevens set up. But his experiences of League will always influence his game in some way.
"I’d like to say that I’ve picked up a bit of that and brought it to union in terms of squaring up and taking the ball to the line," he explains.
“Me and Boothy have spoken about it quite a bit. I think there’s a lot you can pick and learn from rugby league. Don’t get me wrong, I watch a lot of union to get that game knowledge and IQ up but there are definitely aspects of league that you can pick.
“You can see aspects of it in George Ford and Owen Farrell’s games, just counting numbers and things like that.”
The move north has not only introduced challenges off the field but on it too. The game is played in a different way, largely dictated by the inclement weather that is significantly more prevalent here than it is there.
Having to deal with that will only serve to make Walsh a more rounded player and you sense he knows it.
“I’ve learned a lot coming to the northern hemisphere," says Walsh, who is also in the final throes of a part-time property economics degree. "It’s a completely different type of game and you have to play a lot more towards the climate, which affects the momentum and the pace of the game.
“In the last two years, I’d say my rugby IQ has gone through the roof because it’s not just a case of throwing the ball around. There are certain elements of the attack which are still the same but I’ve learned a lot about the more intricate parts of playing union over here.
“There are technical aspects to the kicking game. For example, box kicks – why are you doing them and who are you trying to get to? It’s stuff like that and the weather dictates a lot of it.
“Sometimes it’s about playing for territory and you don’t have to have the ball to win games. Those have been some of the biggest learnings since coming up here.”
At the Ospreys, Walsh will be working alongside two vastly-experienced, but different, fly-halves in Stephen Myler and Gareth Anscombe. He will be third in the pecking order initially but the former is approaching a time in his career where starting week-in, week-out is not always possible, while the latter will spend chunks of the season away with Wales.
That will provide Walsh with ample opportunity to prove himself and it's something he's relishing.
“I’m just trying to learn off the older boys here like Stephen Myler and Gareth Anscombe, who are world class 10s," he says. "I’ll be trying to pick pieces of their games and add them to mine, develop as much as possible.
“The biggest thing for me is their ability and vision to think phases ahead. They see a picture and they are taking steps towards where they want to be in three phases. They’re putting stuff in place instead of just reacting to what is happening there and then.”
Walsh is at an exciting time in his career. You have a young player, who already has so many experiences to call upon. There are rugby league elements which mean he will see the game in a relatively unique way.
He has also spent time at one of the biggest clubs in Europe and will be learning from two very polished operators, whilst clearly having a very steady head on his shoulders.
If Toby Booth and the Ospreys can bring all those elements together, they'll have a serious player on their hands.
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