It's been no secret that, since Jake Ball and Cory Hill departed Welsh rugby, the second-row department has been a little light.
Alun Wyn Jones won't last forever and fresh blood is needed. How fortuitous then that not one, but two new locks are emerging at the same club over the border.
Christ Tshiunza has already been tipped for a big future in the game, with the Exeter second-row/back-row hybrid having been capped twice in the autumn. Also at Sandy Park is Dafydd Jenkins, who, again, is seeing the hype around him slowly build.
The Welsh coaching team are understood to be fans of his and a spot in the touring squad to South Africa this summer has been touted as a possibility. The fact that the pair ply their trade at the same club is in no way a hindrance and could even lead some to believe they could be the next Welsh second-row partnership.
And a joint interview with RugbyPass+ has revealed that such a future is something the pair aspire to. Recalling the first time they played together, in an age-grade match, it was clear that the potential of a partnership was there from the off.
“Our first game together was for Wales 18s against Scotland about four years ago” Tshiunza told RugbyPass+. “It was pretty much the first time I’d met Daf, and we still talk about it almost every day. Everything ran so smoothly, it was almost like we were a machine; one contributing to the other. After the game we looked at each other and said, ‘we’re going to play for Wales together’”.
Jenkins, who made his Premiership debut for Exeter earlier this year, has compared their situation to that of George Kruis and Maro Itoje - who took their Saracens second-row partnership onto the Test stage with England. However, he also noted that there was a time when, from Jenkins' perspective at least, they were rivals rather than allies.
While he now calls him his 'new best friend', there was a time when Jenkins, who was the year below Tshiunza, believed "there can only be one Welsh second row coming through".
"Every time I’d see him, I’d target him. I remember playing against him for Porthcawl Comp against Whitchurch – I don’t know if he even knows this – and they hammered us, but every time he got the ball I was lining him up trying to smash him. "
In terms of their playing styles, both appear to believe they compliment each other well. Tshiunza, who was praised by Wales coach Wayne Pivac following his debut in the autumn, believes he's the 'open-field' specialist, while Jenkins is superior at the set-piece.
“He knows I’m the better carrier – well, I think I am – so, he knows I’m there for him to tip on to," he joked. It's something his partner agrees with.
“Chris could do stuff that no other player our age could. If I was looking for him to carry, I would just tip him the ball and give it early. I know his strengths and he knows mine and that’s why we gel so well.
"I won’t try and be him and he won’t try to be me. We also know each other’s weaknesses which is important as well. We’re not scared to pull each other up on things. I’ve only been here a year but I feel comfortable telling him when something’s not good enough, and he feels the same.”
