Receiving a thumbs-up for offloading from Sonny Bill Williams is a bit like drawing a round of applause from Roger Federer for a forehand pass.
Several young Wales backs had a tale to tell their mates on social media, then, after the U20 Six Nations opener against Ireland.
Williams, New Zealand’s all-time king of the offload, was responding to a try scored by Byron Hayward’s side in Colwyn Bay on Friday evening. “Poetry in motion” he tweeted of the touchdown posted by Llien Morgan and involving sumptuous passes out of tackles by Louie Hennessey and Cameron Winnett.
Archie Hughes had initially sent the ball out, inside centre Harri Ackerman bravely moved play on while being the target for a heavy-duty tackle, then Hennessey and Winnett did their stuff before Dan Edwards sent Morgan sprinting towards the line.
No-one called it a rhapsody in red. They should have.
The Welsh backs were excellent when they had a platform to play off. Hughes controlled matters impressively from scrum-half, playing at tempo and posing a threat himself, while Winnett had class to spare and Edwards, Morgan and his wing partner Harri Houston all had their moments. You can read all about Wales U20s scoring their try from the gods here.
At the heart of it all were the two centres, Ackerman and Hennessey. The pair worked together impressively.
Not only did Dragons academy product Ackerman display a physical edge which allowed him to make and break tackles, he also had nice hands and the ability to put others in space.
Bath Rugby’s Hennessey is rangier and has a penchant for the offload but he also challenges the opposition defence. He scored a try and made 93 metres from 10 runs against Ireland, with a couple of clean breaks also decorating his stats sheet.
The combination proved potent against the Irish, albeit Wales ran out of ball at times after the break. Both players are only 18 and we need to see more, but those who watch a lot of age-grade rugby have been speaking highly of them for a while.
Invited to endorse the idea that the pair looked "special", Wales U20s head coach Byron Hayward was happy to oblige in an in-house Welsh Rugby Union interview. “They are,” he said. “They’re two boys who have big futures and are class operators, both first year U20s players as well.”
Their joint effort is another sign that Welsh rugby’s midfield conveyor belt is working again. Last year, Joe Hawkins and Mason Grady stood out for the U20s, while Keiran Williams has been consistently strong for the Ospreys. Throw Joe Roberts (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Cardiff) and Aneurin Owen (Dragons) into the mix and you have six excellent young centres.
Nick Tompkins is only 27, Owen Watkin 26 — players who will still be around at the 2027 World Cup — while the 30-year-old George North provides experience built up over 12 years of Test rugby.
Of course it is still early days for the young brigade. Stepping up into senior rugby, let alone onto the Test scene, is a major challenge, with the greater physicality something that not every new boy adequately copes with. But there was unmistakable promise from the latest models on the production line.
Later, Ackerman said of his mate: “It’s very good working with him, to be fair. I played with him in the U18 Six Nations. I think we’re developing something good and I’m looking forward to trying to play off him more. He’s a really good player who hits lovely lines.
“Byron always tells us to play through and try to get an offload through.I think that showed in the game. There were two to three offloads in the build-up to that second try.”
Ackerman himself has already started to make an impact at club level, where he has made nine appearances for Newport. “The first time I saw him was in a pre-season game against Bedwas,” said Newport’s team manager Mark Workman. “It was his first game of senior rugby and he was just smashing people out of the way. He’s come up against very experienced Premiership players since and has done well, running down their channels and bumping them off, carrying and gaining yards. He’s a very good prospect.”
Hayward could have been forgiven for feeling he would struggle to replace Hawkins and Grady in the Wales U20s set-up, but he didn’t appear glum after watching Ackerman and Hennessey.
Remember the names. Both are in Wales U20 starting lineup for the clash with Scotland at Scotstoun on Friday evening.
Hayward has made five changes, one of them positional, from the team that lost to Ireland, with the free-scoring Oli Andrew coming in on the left wing. Up front Ellis Fackrell takes over at tighthead, a fit-again Morgan Morse features at openside and strong ball-carrier Mackenzie Martin steps in at No. 6, with skipper Ryan Woodman moving to lock to replace the unavailable Jonny Green.
Wales U20 v Scotland: Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby); Llien Morgan (Ospreys), Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby), Harri Ackerman (Newport), Oli Andrew (Dragons); Dan Edwards (Ospreys), Archie Hughes (Scarlets); Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths (Dragons), Sam Scarfe (Dragons), Ellis Fackrell (Ospreys), Liam Edwards (Ospreys), Ryan Woodman (capt, Dragons), Mackenzie Martin (Cardiff Rugby), Morgan Morse (Ospreys), Huw Davies (Sale Sharks).
Replacements: Lewis Lloyd (Ospreys); Freddie Chapman (Ospreys), Tom Pritchard (Scarlets), Owain Evans (RGC), Luca Giannini (Scarlets), Harri Williams (Scarlets), Harrison James (Cardiff Rugby), Tom Florence (Ospreys).
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