When you reflect on who has been Wales’ best player in the Six Nations so far, a few names spring to mind.
Nick Tompkins showed up really well in the opening three games before concussion ruled him out of the France match, while Taulupe Faletau has been back to his imperious best at No 8 since returning to the side for the outings against England and the French.
Then you’ve got Liam Williams who is leading the way in the Welsh ranks in terms of carries and metres made.
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But when you look at the four matches overall and consider who has been the pick of the bunch in terms of their all-round performances, one name stands out above the rest for me - Will Rowlands.
There was a heavy burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the 30-year-old Dragons lock going into this Championship campaign.
He was stepping into the boots of one of the true legends of Welsh rugby in the shape of the injured Alun Wyn Jones.
With experienced duo Jake Ball and Cory Hill also out of the equation having headed to foreign fields, the second row cupboard was potentially looking a bit bare.
But Rowlands has proved any such concerns to be unfounded with his excellence over the past month or so.
A quick look at his stats show just what a contribution he has made.
He has played 309 of the 320 minutes, working his socks off for every one of them.
No one in the Welsh team has made more tackles, with his tally of 48 putting him fifth on the overall table.
He’s also second in terms of carries by men in red, having made an impressive 203 metres from the 37 times he has trucked the ball up.
Then there have been the three steals he has pulled off at the lineout, where he was particularly effective against France, disrupting a department that had been such an area of strength for them up to that point.
So, all in all, it’s been a hugely positive display from the Hammersmith-born forward and a real breakthrough campaign for him.
Up until this tournament, his caps had come in fits and starts since he was drafted into the Welsh squad at the start of 2020, with his eligibility coming via his father Jeremy, who hails from Pontllanfraith.
Making his debut as a replacement against France, he then earned his first start in the rearranged Six Nations meeting with Scotland in the October of that Covid-impacted year.
But come the 2021 Championship, he was only to have the two outings off the bench, with Alun Wyn and Adam Beard firmly established as the first-choice pairing during the march to the title.
When Jones dislocated his shoulder against New Zealand in the autumn opener, Rowlands got his chance, starting the titanic tussle with South Africa, only to miss the victory over Australia after being concussed versus Fiji.
So a run in the side has eluded him - until now.
Handed four successive starts he has responded and how.
Athleticism, power, tireless tackling, set-piece solidity, sheer hard graft. It's all been there.
Dai Young is someone who knows the 6ft 8ins lock well, having given him his first chance in senior rugby with Wasps.
Having attended Rugby School, Rowlands went on to study Economics and Management at Pembroke College, Oxford, playing in the Varsity matches of 2012 and 2013 against Cambridge.
His performances there caught the eye of Young, who brought him into the Wasps Academy, gave him a run-out initially in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and then handed him a first team contract in 2014.
Rowlands went on to become an increasingly valuable member of the squad at the Premiership club, steadily growing in stature and influence, being named Players’ Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season.
Now back at Cardiff, Young has watched on as his former charge has made his mark at international level.
“I’m really pleased for him, he’s a great kid,” said the ex-Wales and Lions prop.
“He’s a very humble guy, but very serious when it comes to his rugby.
“Will always wanted to learn, always wanted to get better.
“He’s naturally a big bloke, but he worked really hard in the gym to put on five or six kgs of pure muscle, to put some real physicality into his carries and his defence.
“He’s an intelligent guy, very well mannered and he was good to work with.
“He would carry the ball really strongly and put a lot of tackles in.
“His fitness levels were always excellent. He was very mobile, but a big man as well in the close quarters. He’s very good to have behind you in a scrum because of his size and he’s a very good lineout forward as well.
“But the biggest thing is he was always striving to get better and better. He was more than happy to look at ways of improving his game.”
The man who Rowlands now plays his club rugby under is Dragons boss Dean Ryan, who brought him on board from Wasps last summer.
He’s been delighted with his acquisition.
“I think he has been fantastic for us,” said the former England back rower.
“I knew what I thought we were getting, but it’s been great to see it in Dragons colours.
“He’s become a catalyst for others to be able to work as hard as he does and contribute as much as he does.
“Will is pretty reserved, quite quiet, but he brings a huge amount of presence to the game, definitely through actions, but also a silent presence that brings people together and provides opportunity for other people to speak.”
Ryan views the 19st 5lbs Rowlands as quite a unique rugby player.
“I’ve not seen many athletic locks that big,” he said.
“You generally get a lot of athletes around that 6ft 5ins, 6ft 6ins mark.
“When you go above that, you tend to sacrifice some of your athletic capability, which goes with the size.
“What Will brings is an incredible power and work-rate to a huge frame and I think that is quite unique.
“I don’t think there are many around that are capable of combining both.”
The 17-cap Rowlands is now demonstrating those unique attributes on a consistent basis at Test level.
Looking back on the progress he has made this season, one is reminded of what Wales boss Wayne Pivac had to say about him last summer.
He pointed out how he’d played virtually every minute of every game at Wasps and would then come into the national camp, where it was full on in terms of the intensity of training and conditioning work.
Pivac admitted it had left Rowlands “running on fumes” and he predicted how the move to the Dragons would benefit him in terms of the way he would be managed.
“I think we’ll see the best of Will when he’s had a good off season and a break,” said the Kiwi coach.
“We expect him to make big strides.”
Pivac’s prediction has proved to be spot on.
There is, of course, the possibility that Rowlands might yet lose his starting spot for the final Six Nations game against Italy now that Alun Wyn is back fit and available again.
But that would be very harsh on him given the way he has performed in the tournament to date.
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