He is the quiet achiever in the Wales U20s pack, a player whose effort in the win against Scotland last time out went under the radar amid praise for colleagues.
Efan Daniel, Alex Mann and Ethan Fackrell deserved all the praise that came their way.
But don’t forget Tom Cowan.
The 19-year-old No. 6 banged in 18 tackles in a relentlessly committed display against the Scots. There were also 32 metres made with ball in hand. It was a rugged, determined effort which showed why England were keen on claiming Cowan ahead of Wales, with the Wales-born teenager brought up in Chippenham, Wiltshire, by English parents.
He explained: “I was born in Wrexham. My dad was in the army and we were living there.
“I’ve always supported Wales, ever since I was young.
“My parents and my brother supported England, but I was always supporting Wales. There were no doubts [about who to play for].
“I was invited to the England U20s camp — their internal games — but I said 'no, I want to play for Wales'."
There's every chance England’s loss will prove Wales’ gain in the long run.
Cowan began the U20 Six Nations outside Byron Hayward’s starting line-up but caught the eye off the bench in the opener against Ireland in Dublin. On a night when Wales lost 53-5 and missed 31 tackles, their No. 20 performed solidly with a clean defensive sheet and a couple of punchy carries.
He backed it up with an even better show against Scotland.
Often it was Cowan who was to the fore in the close-quarter exchanges, grafting tirelessly in a display which marked him out as a team player.
If his defence stood out, he also contributed in attack as he powered through a tackle before putting skipper Mann over with a subtle offload.
Bath handed Cowan a two-year senior academy contract at the start of this term after the Loughborough University student had impressed during pre-season.
He had started playing rugby with Chippenham RFC and also played for Sheldon School, joining the Welsh Exiles operation in year 10. There was also a spell at Millfield School, alma mater of Gareth Edwards, before Bath reached out to him.
And despite Covid hitting age-grade rugby hard, Cowan has managed to keep busy, playing for his college and in November he made his Gallagher Premiership debut for Bath against Leicester.
He came into the Welsh system via the Welsh Rugby Union’s Exiles’ programme.
“The Exiles allowed me to have exposure in the Welsh environment,” said Cowan.
“It gets you into the Welsh set-up.
“How much rugby am I getting generally? I had a full pre-season with Loughborough University in 2020-21 and trained throughout much of the rest of the year.
“This term, I spent September and October at Loughborough and November at Bath. Whether for the university or Bath, I’m playing rugby each week.”
It’s still early days, but Cowan looks a bright prospect. His awareness allowed him to put in a number of important tackles against Scotland and he also displayed a big work ethic.
He is the kind of player coaches like to have in their teams, one who quietly does the non-glamorous work without which no team can properly function.
His head coach at Loughborough College, Scott Sneddon, said the youngster reminded him a shade of Sam Warburton.
"Tom is outstanding student and athlete. Intelligent and very hard working and really competitive," said Sneddon.
"He is a bit of an athletic freak. Strong and powerful in the contact area. Has the ability to break tackles in tight as well as wide channels.
"Whilst he knows there is still plenty to work on, he reminds me a bit of Sam Warburton in terms of his work rate and dominance in collisions.
"If he continues to develop and work as hard as he currently is. He has the ability to have a successful career with Bath and potentially Wales. "
Keep an eye on Cowan in the U20s Six Nations clash against England in Doncaster on Friday evening.
Wales’ back-row has been excellent in this U20 championship and he’s been a key part of it.
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