Steve Williams sees echoes of Sam Warburton in the way Christ Tshiunza approaches the game of rugby and he should know, having coached both of them at school.
Williams is the long-serving PE teacher at Cardiff’s Whitchurch High School who nurtured the talents of Warburton, Gareth Bale and Geraint Thomas, among others who have gone on to make their mark in the sporting world.
Tshiunza is the latest international off the production line, with the 21-year-old set to make his first start for Wales in Saturday’s Six Nations showdown with Scotland at Murrayfield.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to a French-speaking family, he moved to Cardiff in 2010 at the age of eight and went on to study at Whitchurch High where his sporting ability was immediately evident to Williams.
“His potential was clear to see. It was pretty obvious because of his size,” he said. “Like all the others that have gone before, he was interested in all sports and very good at them all. He fully embraced the opportunities you have at the school for sport and academic progress.
“Christ was particularly good at athletics, a good sprinter, good high jumper. He jumped 1.80 in the high jump when he was about 16. By then, he was weighing in at almost 17 stone, at 6ft 6ins. Seeing him come off the bend, running the 200 metres, was some sight.
“He was a very good basketball player as well. He took part in everything. But when he got to the sixth form, there was only one thing for him and that was going to be rugby.”
As for Tshiunza’s willingness to learn, Williams says: “He was very receptive, highly intelligent and an absolute pleasure to be around right from the start. He had a tremendous work ethic to better himself.
“He was third or fourth choice in the Cardiff Schools U15s side, but he knew if he worked harder than anybody else that he would overtake them.
“There was no stopping him. He was deadly serious about what he wanted to achieve, but he did everything with a huge smile on his face.
“He was very much the same as some of the others, they had this sound foundation and a huge work ethic, so you felt early on there was no telling where he could go.
“He took the advice on board and got his diet right. A bit like Sam, he went to huge extremes to make sure he did things correctly.
“He used to have a paper round at 5am and then he would come in on his bike for strength and conditioning at 7am. He would be absolutely soaking wet and freezing cold. Then maybe he would do some more at lunchtime.
“Whatever was going on, he would take part in it. He would ask questions. He would say ‘what did Sam do?’ He had the same sort of streak as Sam. He was convinced that doing more work than anybody else would get him somewhere.
“He was lucky in that he knew what Sam had done and he was able to relate to that and say ‘well, if I do it, perhaps I will stand a chance as well'."
It was in the second row that Tshiunza played the bulk of his schools rugby.
“We knew he could play elsewhere, but he had to settle down to a position to get into the Wales U18s, so we concentrated on that,” said Williams. “We worked a lot on his running skills and being able to move quickly as you receive the ball and being able to step.
“He was quite prepared to take anything on board. We used to watch Victor Matfield catching the ball one-handed in the lineout. You’d say ‘can you do that?’ and he’d say ‘let’s have a go at it’.”
After leaving school, Tshiunza linked up with English Premiership club Exeter and soon made his mark, which resulted in him being called up to the Wales squad for the 2021 autumn internationals while still a teenager. His Test debut came as a replacement against Fiji at the Principality Stadium and it was to be an occasion to remember in more ways than one.
“Most 19-year-olds on their first cap, they are thinking about getting out on to the field and being with their mates afterwards,” said Williams. “But Christ had organised the day. He had arranged seats for about 20 people that he knew well, family and friends, and food afterwards. The thought process to do that for such a young man was so impressive. It was in his mind that these people had helped him along the way a bit and he wanted them there and he wanted to reward them. It was really heartwarming.”
One person in particular that Tshiunza wanted to reward was his former school teacher Williams and this he did by presenting him with his match jersey in a touching scene that was captured on camera.
“I was a bit lost for words,” admits Williams. “Nobody could have seen that coming. I don’t think it’s ever been done before. I’ve never really come across anything like that.
“It was shock, delight, everything rolled into one. You have the jersey in your hand and five minutes later you are thinking ‘hang on, what on earth is going on here?’ I was absolutely thrilled to bits. It’s not an experience I’ve seen anywhere else that anybody else has had.
“After all these years, you suddenly come across something which is very new and thought of by a 19-year-old young man. It’s quite incredible. I was absolutely delighted and I still am.”
The jersey is framed and hanging up in Williams’ office in Whitchurch High where he remains director of rugby and also works on the estates side. He keeps in regular contact with Tshiunza who is combining rugby with his studies, being in the final year of a sports science degree at Exeter University.
Employed primarily on the flank by the Chiefs, it’s at blindside he will line up against Scotland after getting the call from Warren Gatland amid a much-changed pack.
“We always felt he could command several positions moving forward as long as he maintained his mobility and developed his handling skills,” said Williams.
“He is a giant of a man. He’s got bigger arms than most people have got legs! You don’t suddenly appear with those. That’s over a long time and that’s down to him. He worked extremely hard during Covid. He had a pile of weights at home and he just kept going and going. He’s developed his body magnificently. You’ve got a very good all-round athlete there and a very bright lad as well.”
As for how Tshiunza will respond to the challenge up in Murrayfield, Williams says: “I wouldn’t have thought he would be fazed by it. He’s very strong mentally.
“He’s been playing in big games against big forwards in the Premiership and Europe. I think that will hold him in good stead. I think he will be up to it. He has a tremendous work ethic. You won’t find him wanting.”
In that respect, Williams sees a similarity with the likes of Warburton, Bale and Thomas.
“They have got something in them where they just don’t give in, they keep going and going and going,” he said.
“Look at Geraint Thomas. First, second, third in the Tour de France and still wants more. Gareth is such a competitor, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he wins something in golf. Sam will always try to be the best at whatever he does. He’s a prize pundit. He does his homework and is so knowledgeable. Christ relates to Sam.”
After some 40 years at Whitchurch High, Williams continues to work full-time and is as hands-on as ever.
“I am out on the training paddock every lunchtime and every day after school,” he says.
Looking for the next Warburton or Tshiunza presumably? “I am not looking for them," he replies. "They will appear, don’t worry.”
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