Aberavon RFC believe they are nurturing one of Welsh rugby’s hottest young prospects in teenager Gabe Lacey.
The hard-running three-quarter, who can play on the wing and in the centre, is set to feature for Wales under-20s in a training game against Scotland on December 17.
He joined the Wizards from Porthcawl in the summer having previously featured for Bristol Bears U18s, and the 6ft 2in, 15st 6lb youngster has wasted no time making his mark at the Talbot Athletic Ground.
“I can see him going a long way in the game,” Aberavon head coach Jason Hyatt told WalesOnline. “He started against Pontypridd last weekend and did really well and he has looked the part in other games, too.
“We heard about him in the summer through someone from the club who had watched Porthcawl Youth and just felt their No. 12 was exceptional. I spoke with one of their coaches, Ryan Woodbridge, and they were as good as gold in wanting to see the boy do as well as he could.
“We invited him to training and contracted him within a week. He is growing as a player with every game he plays. He’s big, quick, works hard and has good hands and a kicking game. He’s also keen to learn.
“When we first spoke to Gabe, there was no interest in him from any region. The Dragons have since shown an interest and he’s now going over there with their academy to train for a couple of mornings a week. What he needs now is time on the field.
“Jac Morgan was with us a few years ago and by Christmas he’d had 1,000 minutes of rugby, which accelerated his development hugely. Jac’s story shows how the Welsh Premiership can work. He was in danger of slipping through the net before he came to us, but he got on board with Aberavon and it was soon obvious he was something special. He’ll tell you the Premiership helped him at that point.”
Hyatt is looking forward to seeing how Lacey, 18, fares in training with Wales U20s, with the run-out against Scotland a means of helping both sides prepare for the Six Nations.
“He’s still very young, but sometimes you can just tell when a player is one to watch," he added. “Gabe is a fantastic prospect and, if all goes well, he’ll achieve some really good things in rugby.”
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