This time 12 months ago, Welsh rugby had just learned the name Harri Deaves.
He had just played a starring role in the Wales under-20s campaign which, in truth, was a bit of a mixed bag with wins over Italy and Scotland bookending substantial defeats to Ireland, France and England.
But the all-action openside emerged from the tournament with his stock soaring through the roof. His relentless, man of the match performance in the opener against the Azzurri stands out. Easy to spot with his bright yellow scrum cap, at times it felt like there were two of him on the pitch as he chopped down attackers and plundered a plethora of turnovers.
It was a showing made all the more impressive by the fact it was his first game in two years. A combination of the Covid pandemic preceded by a persistent groin issue meant Deaves was somewhat of a caged animal by the time he was unleashed at the Arms Park that day.
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“I was busting for it,” he tells WalesOnline, recalling the day he made a name for himself. “I first tweaked my groin when I was at college but didn’t think too much of it. The next day, I woke up with severe pain and they couldn’t put their finger on what was wrong with it. In the end they put it down to nerve damage.
“So I had to spend a lot of time in rehab, strengthening my glutes and stuff like that. Then the week I was coming back for my first game we went into lockdown. I was supposed to be on the bench but then everybody knows what happened next.”
On the Italy game itself, he adds: “Yeah it was big. I had self-doubts over whether I’d be fit enough, whether I’d play well, all that sort of stuff. It was massive.
“I went alright. I picked up a head knock and a red card in that tournament, which was gutting, but that first game back was massive for me to prove that I could still cut it.”
At the time, Deaves was attached to the Ospreys academy, having come through the pathway there but his performances were bound to catch the eye of rival clubs. He was making headlines and social media was awash with praise for the young man who embodied the kind of grit and determination that rugby fans will get behind. That level of adulation was something entirely alien to the man from Pontyclun.
“You learn from your experience don’t you?" he says. "If you take all the hype on board, it almost puts more pressure on you to perform like that again.
“My mindset is to just go out on the pitch and forget about what happened in the game before or what might happen in the game afterwards. I’m there to do a job to the best of my ability.
“It’s obviously nice being bigged up – much better than being brought down! – but you’ve just got to keep backing it up.”
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth moved quickly to ensure the now-21-year-old saw a future for himself at the Ospreys, giving him the senior debut his performances warranted in January this year, in the European Champions Cup match away at Sale.
It was a dark day for the Ospreys, who sent a mix-and-match side to the north west and were predictably well-beaten. But, again, Deaves was the shining light, into everything and scoring his side's only try. Once again he had taken the opportunity which was presented to him.
“To make my debut for the Ospreys was huge," he says. "It was nice that Toby put trust in me and he backed me to go out there. That was a huge stepping stone.”
Then he went out to the RDS to face Leinster, another daunting prospect. But, again, he was the standout performer. A handful more opportunities came throughout the second half of last season, with Deaves never letting anyone down during his outings.
Then came the phone call every aspiring rugby player dreams of. His agent was on the line and the Ospreys were offering him his first professional deal.
Deaves, who was a roofer during his time in the Ospreys academy, recalls: “I was bouncing. My agent phoned and told me what the Ospreys had offered and I was over the moon. It’s where I want to develop at the moment and kick on, play as many games as possible this season.
“It was huge news for me. This was my dream as a kid. I don’t think it has sunk in yet but hopefully it does soon!
“I’ve grown up with the Ospreys, I’ve supported them since I was a nipper. This is my boyhood club and it was my dream to play for them. It was the right place for me to be."
Not one to miss an opportunity to crack a joke, Deaves recalls telling his parents about the offer: "First thing they said was 'how much?' Nah, I’m only joking, they were thrilled for me.”
He passes the joke off with a laugh but it suggests he has remained grounded, despite entering the world of professional rugby at a young age. He still socialises with the same mates he grew up with at Pontyclun RFC, the club where he cut his teeth.
"That place means a lot to me," he insists in more serious tones.
The jokes stop when he crosses the whitewash, too. Deaves is not at the Ospreys to make up the numbers, despite having Wales internationals Justin Tipuric (who is on the verge of returning from injury) and Jac Morgan to battle with for the No. 7 jersey. That level of competition would have driven some to seek opportunities elsewhere, but Deaves is relishing it.
Indeed Tipuric himself, a British and Irish Lion, has tipped his young rival to have "many, many caps in time". High praise from a man who knows a thing or two about the openside position.
“You learn from them every day on the pitch and off the pitch in life," he says. "I look up to them and use their knowledge to improve as much as I can.
“But at the end of the day, I’m No. 7 and they’re No. 7s so I try to be as competitive with them as I can because I don’t want to just be sat in the background all season waiting for an injury. I want to push them as hard as I can and rival them for the jersey. Toby loves competition because he wants the highest standard of performance from the team and competition between players drives performance.”
He is not naïve, though. He pairs that fearlessness of youth with a steady head and knows there are areas he needs to work on.
“When I first came into the set-up, looking back, I was very raw," he admits. "There is a lot of system work involved in senior rugby, so I had to develop certain skills and gain an understanding of why we play a certain way.
“For me, sometimes it’s about not overworking and making sure I play to the system and just let the system do its work.
“I’m in a position where I’ve still got a massive amount to learn and develop: things like my size, my speed, my knowledge and understanding of the game. It’s just things like making sure I train to the best of my ability in every session, know my stuff on and off the pitch and make sure I give them no reason to leave me out of the team."
Sitting across from Deaves at the Ospreys training centre, you get the sense of a young man who is really beginning to understand what is going to be required of him to take his game to the next level.
What is clear so far is that he is a grounded individual, has talent in spades, a level of fearlessness which will serve him well and he is with a region who have proven they are willing to give youth a chance. The rest, then, is up to him.
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