He is only 19, but Welsh youngster Dafydd Jenkins will captain former English and European champions Exeter Chiefs when they take on London Irish in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership clash at Sandy Park.
The 6ft 7in, 18st 5lb youngster whom Wayne Pivac has flagged up as a potential bolter for Wales at the World Cup in France next year leads a team that contains six Heineken Champions Cup winners.
His elevation to the captaincy highlights not just his growing maturity as a player but also how highly Exeter think of him.
On social media, the move was described as a huge statement of intent from Exeter bosses.
The poster's not wrong.
Read more: Wales v Argentina exact scoreline predicted as experts all foresee difficult outcome for Pivac's
And while Wayne Pivac will have other matters on his mind this weekend, with Wales facing Argentina at the same time as Exeter are running out, the Welsh national coach will have doubtless noted Jenkins being awarded his stripes in Devon.
Some people, it seems, are just meant to lead.
Playing for Wales in the Under 20 Summer Series in Italy, second-row Jenkins confirmed he’s a player who operates from the front. He may not have skippered Byron Hayward’s team but he inspired those around him with his performances and didn’t take a step back throughout the tournament.
Of course, most will remember the episode that saw him calmly stroll up to South Africa’s team huddle in the final and help himself to their water, pushing past a junior Springbok player as he did so. Doing that required “ba**s of steel,” someone suggested at the time. You can read about that moment here.
But it was the quality of his play throughout the event that really stood out — his ability to achieve lineout steals when Wales most needed them, his turnovers and tenacity in defence and his carrying alongside Christ Tshiunza. With Wales struggling to hold on to a narrow lead against Georgia in a pool match, Jenkins pilfered the opposition set-piece twice near the Welsh line. “That’s what world-class players at this age-grade give you,” enthused Hayward about the second take, which effectively saved the game for Wales, with the Georgians ready to launch their driving maul from five metres out.
This weekend, he will wear the armband in a team that includes Joe Simmonds, Jack Maunder, Alec Hepburn, Harry Williams, Dave Ewers and Jacques Vermeulen, all of whom started for Exeter when they defeated Racing 92 to lift the European title in 2020.
Jenkins’ fellow Welshman Dan John features with ex-Wales age-grade player Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the bench after his switch to the west of England club.
Pivac will not want to rush him, but if it some point between now and next September Jenkins receives a call from Wales' head coach it would not be a great surprise.
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