When the Wales squad for the approaching autumn internationals was announced, the inclusion of Rio Dyer might have raised an eyebrow or two.
Not that the Dragons winger's form didn't warrant a place, but rather that, for many, it seemed likely that the final wing spot would go to either Keelan Giles or Ryan Conbeer. However, that wasn't the case, with Wayne Pivac opting for the Dragons flyer.
When explaining his decision further, Pivac spoke about how Dyer had impressed after being invited into the camp ahead of the summer tour to South Africa. Revealing Dyer had scored the first try in a training match between squad members, Pivac was asked who he had skinned in the process. He wouldn't divulge individual names, but, with a big smile on his face, he revealed Dyer had "beaten more that just one player" on his way to the line.
A starring role against the Ospreys at Rodney Parade last time out, befitting of a player brimming with confidence after a maiden Wales call-up, has only raised the excitement around the 22-year-old. Chants of his name rang around from the Dragons faithful, while the stadium DJ couldn't resist a spot of Duran Duran after the obligatory post-match Sweet Caroline.
Dyer's potential has been known for some time, but this has certainly been a breakout season to date for the winger. Back at the start of 2020, when Dyer had little more than a handful of senior appearances, Dean Ryan told him: "I have a feeling you're going to be a superstar".
Ryan may no longer be at the Dragons, but when he said he could "see two or three tries" every time Dyer got near the ball, that turned out to be fairly prophetic. The question now is how will his game transition to the Test stage?
Let's start with the obvious. Two tries to down the Ospreys and both demonstrated parts of his game which catch the eye. His first try came after some crisp passing from the Dragons backline. Yet even when he received the ball, he still had a lot of work to do. But just a small half-step inside before hitting the outside again stands Luke Morgan up and gives him just enough room to dive over in the corner, showing great awareness to get his feet off the ground and score.
"Boy, can he finish," admitted Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan afterwards, while Will Rowlands admitted it is "awesome seeing him finish off tries in the corner, he's got electric pace and it breeds a lot of confidence to our team having him out wide".
As for his second try, it was smart defensive work to read where the danger was, back-tracking once the Ospreys identified the space out wide. Speaking about it afterwards, he said: “We get told to stay high on the edges and I tried to get in his eyeline. When he threw the pass and it flew into my hands, I just put my head down and aimed for that try line.” Given his pace, it was never in doubt that he would make it.
In many ways, this try was coming because of how, defensively, Dyer did exactly what was asked of him throughout the afternoon. Ahead of this intercept, Dyer often pushed up high into the passing lane, forcing the Ospreys to push miss-passes out to his wing.
More often than not, Dyer would back his pace to get back to cover, while he also held his feet nicely on another occasion to drag Jac Morgan down after Michael Collins fizzed a flat pass across him.
They set the trap and, eventually, Dyer got his reward.
Beyond the two scores, there was a fair bit to like from the performance. Flanagan spoke glowingly about the amount of touches Dyer was getting in matches, but he did add that it wasn't a match that saw him get as many touches from second or third receiver.
When he did, he naturally looked dangerous with the extra space and depth that being handed the ball earlier afforded him. One first-half occasion saw him drag in two defenders as he drifted across from the 13 channel to the inside shoulder of his opposite wing.
Had he been able to get his hands free in the tackle, Jack Dixon was waiting outside for an offload in space. Regardless of that, Dyer's threat meant the Dragons were able to turn slow ball on halfway into a gain around 15 metres behind the gainline.
Dyer took the ball deep from two pull-back passes, but his running ability meant Michael Collins and Luke Morgan had to defend passively, rather than close down his space.
Perhaps the only area of the game which wasn't tested, due to the nature of the fast-flowing match, was his aerial game. The Ospreys didn't put anything up on him, instead opting to kick long, while the Dragons rarely put it to the sky either. However, while it wasn't on display at the weekend, it is a facet of the game which both his club and country coaches have singled out.
"He’s good in the air and that’s huge at Test level," said Pivac.
“He can catch high balls and he chases kicks well, which is fundamentally two of the most important things in international rugby for wingers," added Flanagan. "The icing on the cake is what he can do when he gets an opportunity to score tries.”
That lack of aerial competition allowed him to display his broken field running. One kick return so nearly resulted in a try as he tore the Ospreys chase to shreds.
Perhaps what was most pleasing beyond the mazy run was how he effectively changed his direction from a standing start before receiving the ball, wrong-footing fellow Wales call-up Joe Hawkins in the process.
The step up to Test rugby will be something different altogether, but both Rowlands and Flanagan harboured no concerns over his ability to do so. Certainly, his experience with the squad in the summer will help.
“That week and a half was definitely an eye opener to what’s in store,” Dyer said. "It gave me that little extra boost of thinking how I need to develop my game to be at that top level, to be able to be at the Principality Stadium and put in performances.
“I’ve watched a lot of the boys in the squad growing up, seen them on the TV when I was a kid in my teenage years. It’s a case of realising I am now in the situation I have been watching.
“When I went in there in the summer, it wasn’t like I felt uncomfortable. Everyone was welcoming. They were kind to me even though I was just a visitor. They are a good bunch of boys and make you feel welcome.
“It’s obviously going to be high intensity, but it’s also about doing the little things well consistently. That’s what sets you apart. You can do it once or twice, but you have to keep doing it throughout the 80 minutes.
“It’s all about becoming the best player I can. It’s just striving for that. I am still pretty young, so I have still got loads to learn. These couple of weeks will be that opportunity to take that straight into my stride. The camp will make me learn a lot of things. It would be amazing to get a cap, but the only way I am going to do that is by bettering myself. It will come when I am ready.”
Given Wales' back-three injury concerns, it might be sooner than he thinks.
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