Everyone at Pencoed RFC knew he was a special talent from a very young age. Now that conviction has been confirmed with Tommy Reffell selected to make his Wales debut against South Africa this weekend.
One man well placed to give an insight into the 23-year-old is Bridgend RFC team manager Ed Griffith. He played with Reffell’s father Gary at Pencoed and saw young Tommy come up through the ranks at the club. He’s gone on to follow his progress closely since he moved to Leicester.
“I watched him play for the mini and juniors at Pencoed. He could play in the backs or forwards,” said Griffith. “At an early age, you could see he had his father’s engine and heart. I remember when his dad was coaching Pencoed, Tommy would be that young kid around the first team squad, sliding in the mud and always outside playing on the pitch with local boys even when it was pouring down.
“They would come into the club absolutely stinking and soaking wet. He has always had that steely mentality and the love for the game. Everyone at Pencoed knew he was a special kid from a very young age. He also has that rugby brain and an understanding that is rare.
“At 16, he went to the Leicester Academy, which must have been daunting for a young kid, but took it all in his stride with the support of his family. He knew exactly what he wanted at a young age. He was living with local families who remain very close to him. That’s the type of guy he is and Tigers fans love him. He does it week in week out in a tough league.
“His exuberance and winning mentality would be a real tonic in any environment. He plays against the world’s best every week and owns it.”
It was in 2014 that Reffell upped sticks at the tender age of 15 and headed to the East Midlands for a new life in the Leicester Academy and at Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. His former teacher at Pencoed Comprehensive School, Simon King, has his own take on what makes the former Wales U20s captain tick and why he has proved such a hit with the Tigers.
“He has incredible commitment, the right attitude and a will to succeed. What is special about him as well is that his core values are still what they were when he left Pencoed to head for the Tigers in the first place. He is respectful of others and goes the extra mile for his team-mates. And he’s a warrior on the field," said King.
“His values are the values of Pencoed. I know people are very proud of him there and so they should be. It’s great to see him doing so well. He has developed into an outstanding rugby player. Leicester are a club with great values and they identified that Tommy would fit in perfectly. I have so much admiration for him, going to live in digs up there at the age of 16, like a footballer from another age.”
As for his own recollections of how his rugby journey began back home in Wales, the Bridgend-born Reffell has said: “All my family are involved in the game and they got me into it aged four at Pencoed. I stayed there through minis and juniors until U16s. I started off as centre and then gradually worked my way in because the coaches couldn’t keep me away from rucks! I like the contact stuff.”
On the move to Leicester as a teenager, he says: “They approached me and gave me a tour of their facilities. It was after the Lions tour to Australia in 2013 and when I went up there I could see all their Lions training. I could tell it was a special club. So I went up when I was 15 and moved in with a family.
“The Ospreys wanted to keep me as part of their academy system but Leicester was the right decision for me. Moving away from my family and friends was tough. But I put rugby first and I haven’t looked back since.”
Indeed he hasn't. With openside such a competitive position in Wales, he has however had to bide his time on the international front, but the call finally came as he was included in Wayne Pivac's squad for this summer's tour of South Africa. Having clearly impressed in training, he has now been picked to wear the No 7 jersey against the Springboks at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld of Saturday. The people of Pencoed will be rightly proud of their special young man.
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