It used to be said of Dan Baker that his bad luck was such that he might pick up an injury were he invited onto A Question of Sport.
Rated so highly as a youngster, the No. 8 found it hard to put together the run of bump-free matches he needed to truly exploit his natural talent.
At one point with the Ospreys a career-threatening knee injury ruled him out for 699 days or 100 weeks, whichever you prefer. However you count it, it was a long time on the sidelines. You can read more about it here.
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But the three-cap Wales international's quality as a ball-carrier has never been in doubt.
Turn the clock back a long way and Baker was being spoken of as a potential Wales regular. He’d outshone Jamie Heaslip for the Ospreys against Leinster and some at his home region were calling him “mesmeric”. The then 21-year-old No. 8 could beat defenders through a combination of speed, power and quick feet.
These days, he’s doing it for Aberavon RFC after his summer move from the Dragons.
Baker made a strong competitive debut for the Wizards as they beat Bridgend 45-14 and was to the fore with a superb try-scoring display in the 39-17 win over Swansea last Thursday evening. The wins have hoisted his new club to the top of the Welsh Premiership, with 84 points and 13 tries to date.
And the man in the middle-of-the-back-row slot has impressed Aberavon head coach Jason Hyatt.
“Dan’s going really well,” said Hyatt. “He was outstanding against Swansea, with some great carries at from restarts. And against Bridgend the week before he turned up with two really important turnovers.
“So he’s fitted in perfectly. He can carry ball, he has great understanding of where to be on the field and, above all, he’s a nice character to have around the camp.
“Not only will he provide us with good energy and experience on the field, he’s also able to mentor some of the younger players in the team generally. He’s been terrific since he joined, and I think he’s enjoying it as well.”
Against Swansea, much-travelled fly-half Rhys Jones also caught the eye. The 34-year-old’s CV contains evidence of spells at Sale, the Scarlets and Dragons, among others, but Kingsley Jones’ son had reached the point when he didn’t know whether he’d continue.
“He was on the verge of giving up rugby,” said Hyatt. “But he’s been instrumental since coming on board.
“Rhys has been around the block and knows how to run matches. Like Dan, he’s energised by being part of our set-up and is proving an asset.
“We are not getting carried away after a couple of good wins, but we are playing good rugby. The good thing for the side is there’s a lot to improve on. Anyone can beat anyone else in the Premiership and we know if we hadn’t picked up our game in the second half against Swansea we could have left there with nothing.
“But we’re happy with where we are. We feel there’s a decent foundation to go forward.”
Those who followed Baker's traumas during his marathon spell as an Ospreys casualty will be pleased for him that the campaign has started so well. He never gave up hope at any point, and always tried to cheerful. To see him in form again and enjoying his rugby is a significant early-season positive.
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