It seems fair to say there are some casual rugby observers who might struggle to pick out Jack Dixon at an identity parade.
He doesn’t appear the type to court publicity and his Twitter bio tells us that as well as being a professional rugby player for the Dragons, he is also a ‘proud vice-captain of the railway seconds darts team’.
It isn’t known how quickly he can get down from 501, but every rugby team should have a Jack Dixon, a players’ player who goes the extra mile for the team and is prepared to tackle unglamorous jobs with relish. Rare is the Dragons match that passes without Dixon putting himself in harm’s way and targeting turnovers despite the best efforts of gargantuan opposition forwards to blast him off the ball.
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Such work isn’t always picked up, let alone celebrated. But, then, Dixon doesn’t do it for the headlines. He does it for the team.
In a recent interview with his local newspaper, the South Wales Argus, he said of one such episode in the Dragons’ 2015 Challenge Cup win over Cardiff, which saw him pilfer possession with the clock in the red and the Rodney Paraders grimly defending a 25-21 lead: “Those moments don’t get seen but I’m happy to do them.
“Every weekend I just try my best for the team. I am not the one that scores the tries, I am the one that takes all the beatings in midfield to let the boys outside me score the tries.”
Quietly, however, he has been playing so well of late that it’s been impossible to ignore him, with his director of rugby at the Dragons, Dean Ryan, touting him as a potential Wales call-up.
“Jack's performances have warranted notice from outside the region,” said Ryan. “He has been fantastic.”
Ryan said Dixon had reverted to inside centre after Aneurin Owen’s recent injury and found his mojo. And despite the Dragons’ struggles, the 6ft 2in, 16st 7lb beacon of solidity had fronted up, especially on the recent tour of South Africa.
“His performance against the Bulls was international class; then on a pretty difficult platform against the Sharks he was 100 per cent in defence. People should look from outside the region and think whether others in a similar situation could maintain those levels of performance.” You can read about the Dragons' loss to the Bulls here.
Turn back the clock a decade and Dixon featured in the Wales side that defeated New Zealand in the U20 World Championship. He was just 17 at the time.
He had actually made his Dragons debut as a 16-year-old, in the process becoming the youngest player to play regional rugby. A huge future appeared to beckon.
Yet no senior caps have been forthcoming. It’s hard to say if that situation will change.
Right now, though, the strong running and hard-hitting Dixon is playing his best rugby. And whether a call happens or not, he’ll continue to enjoy what he does, saying ahead of 150th Dragons appearance last weekend, against Glouceste r, that he relishes training, playing on the weekend and waking up the next day feeling like he's been hit by a bus.
Such selflessness sums up 27-year-old Dixon. Just maybe, Wayne Pivac should take a closer look at one of Welsh rugby’s authentic team men for this summer's tour to South Africa.
