Antoine Dupont didn’t even earn a mention in some of the match reports which were written.
Indeed, that night, the scrum-half who caught the attention was Reuben Morgan-Wllliams.
It was 2016 and Wales were playing France in the Under-20s Six Nations.
Then only a schoolboy, Morgan-Williams sent out a series of quick passes and looked quite the part for Wales. It wasn’t totally obvious the player facing him would be installed as world player of the year within five years and hailed by no less a No. 9 than Aaron Smith as being on another level.
But Morgan-Williams, who has since gone on to feature for the Ospreys, held his own back then, just as he did throughout a stylish Grand Slam-winning campaign for Jason Strange’s Wales U20 team.
They were up against a France U20 squad which contained four of the players who helped the French team put Scotland to the sword in the senior Six Nations tournament last weekend, with Dupont joined by Damian Penaud, Anthony Jelonch and the hooker Peato Mauvaka, who made such a storming impact off the bench at Murrayfield.
But the Welsh kids six years ago prevailed 16-10, albeit their opponents had a man sent off with 24 minutes to play.
Making the win even more commendable was the absence that evening of one of the best players in Strange's team in Owen Watkin, plus Dan Jones at fly-half.
They remain the last Wales U20s team to win a Grand Slam.
Here's what has happened to them.
Rhun Williams
His old coach at Cardiff Blues, John Mulvihill, reckoned the north Walian had the ability to play 50 times for Wales.
And that absolutely looked the case in 2016 with the rangy Williams giving Jason Strange’s team real attacking power with his ability to hit the line at pace.
He looked on course for a senior cap after winning selection in Robin McBryde’s squad for Wales’ 2017 summer tour, only to be ruled out by a back injury.
Much, much worse was to follow in February of the following year when he suffered a neck problem while making a try-saving tackle against Zebre.
It left Williams unable to return, with the youngster subsequently announcing his retirement as a player at the age of just 22.
George Gasson
The scorer of Wales’ lone try on the night, and what a score it was, seeing Wales go from coast to coast over 90 metres with 12 players involved and ending with Keelan Giles sending Gasson over.
Some thought it would be a contender for touchdown of the season.
It highlighted the ambition and spirit of adventure with which Strange’s side played.
Gasson went on to be part of the Wales Sevens team, only to find himself out of a job when the side was wound up amid the coronavirus pandemic.
An 18-month spell on a building site followed, with the ex-Dragons and Bedwas wing later joining Cardiff RFC. Catch up on his story here.
Gasson has also studied sports rehabilitation and massage at Cardiff Met University.
Joe Thomas
He played on the wing in the side which clinched the Grand Slam by defeating Italy, replacing the injured George Gasson, who had impressed in the win over England the previous week.
It was Thomas who triggered the memorable try against France by opting to run from deep.
It’s been an up-and-down time for the popular and skilful playmaker since 2016.
He had been starting to make a mark at the Ospreys only to become a casualty of budget cuts and Project Reset. He left to play club rugby in New Zealand, heading back after a short stay when Leicester Tigers came in for him.
Now he’s with Aberavon RFC.
Harri Millard
He has become a walking pub-quiz question as the last man to score a try for Cardiff under their Cardiff Blues incarnation.
Millard is quick and can play centre and wing.
Owen Watkin didn’t play in the Wales U20s win over France six years ago, but Pontypridd-born Millard ensured there were no midfield dramas in his absence.
Keelan Giles
Rewind six years ago and Giles appeared to be on the assembly line where potential superstars were being put together.
He’d had a sensational Six Nations with Wales U20s, combining attacking skills with high-level rugby intelligence, highlighted by one moment against England when he streaked through only for the defence to regroup. Giles stayed calm in heavy traffic, looked for support and sent out a killer pass to keep the attack going. Sir Clive Woodward, with his T-Cup mantra of Thinking Clearly Under Pressure, would have been awed.
Fate has been unkind to the Osprey, however, with two major injuries robbing him of a couple of seasons.
But don’t count him out yet.
"I coached him at under-16 level and he has all the attributes to be a top player," Strange said in 2016.
"He has lightning speed, his work ethic is excellent and his balance is outstanding but his biggest strength is that he can play rugby because he understands the game and what to do."
There’s still time.
Billy McBryde
Robin McBryde had driven from Cardiff to Colwyn Bay to watch his then teenage son feature against Scotland in the previous round and for 79 minutes it looked like being a wasted journey as Billy McBryde remained confined to the bench.
But the junior McBryde was sent on in the closing seconds and kicked the decisive penalty which secured the 18-15 victory that kept Wales’ Grand Slam dream alive.
He supplied 11 points to the Welsh cause in the victory over France.
A sting with RGC 1404 followed before McBryde headed for Doncaster.
Reuben Morgan-Williams
Antoine Dupont’s direct opponent six years ago, Morgan-Williams was still at school when the match unfolded.
If he was fazed by being in the presence of an emerging rugby genius, the product of Ysgol Gymgaeg Ystalyfera and Neath College didn’t show it as he flicked out fast passes and worked quickly at the base of the scrum. It became a feature in that campaign that he’d spot gaps even before they'd opened up. He was alert and took advantage of even quarter-chances.
He’s the mix at the Ospreys now behind Rhys Webb.
Corey Domachowski
In 2016, the 6ft, 18st 6lb Domachowski helped give Wales the solid setpiece base every side needs.
The Church Village-born loosehead has since passed his half-century of appearances on the senior scene with Cardiff, where he is highly thought of, and Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has also name-checked him.
Dafydd Hughes
The factory churning out hookers for the Scarlets somewhere in deepest west Wales has blessed the Llanelli-based region with current internationals in Ken Owens and Ryan Elias.
Carmarthen-born Hughes has also come off the production line.
He started every game in Wales’s Slam at junior level in 2016.
Taking the armband for the first time at the Scarlets recently, he responded with an outstanding performance against Ulster which saw him pile up 22 tackles and make 37 metres from his 11 carries.
Dillon Lewis
He had a superb campaign with the U20s in 2016, showing up well in the loose with the trademark breakdown interventions that have marked him out at senior level while also delivering at the scrums.
Lewis is now up to 72 appearances for Cardiff and has 36 Wales caps in the bank.
Recently, he again showed his ability over the ball when making a big impact off the bench in the win over Scotland.
The good news for both Cardiff and Wales is that at 26 Lewis is only just hitting his prime.
Shane Lewis-Hughes
He played lock for Wales U20s, but the 6ft 4in, 17st 11lb Cardiff forward has developed into a blindside good enough to be capped at senior level for Wales.
Back in 2017 an Arms Park insider told this writer: “Shane is incredibly driven. He doesn’t leave the gym until Ellis Jenkins and Sam Warburton have left.”
The assumption was that Lewis-Hughes was finishing those sessions in the dark.
He brought mobility to the lock role in 2016 and distinguished himself with several hard-hitting performances for Strange’s side.
He has three full Wales caps to date.
Adam Beard
The U20 Six Nations proved a launchpad for Beard.
Barely a year later he was winning a senior cap with Wales and embarking on a run which saw him go unbeaten in his first 13 Tests.
Wayne Pivac subsequently dropped him, only for Beard to recover so well he made the Lions squad to tour South Africa and won a Test cap.
This season, he is Wales vice-captain.
The 6ft 8in forward performed wonders for the U20s four years ago, not only supplying a stream of quality line-out ball but also working tirelessly at mauls and showing up around the field with ball in hand.
Tom Phillips
Had a couple of strangers wandered into a Wales U20s press conference at the start of the 2016 Six Nations they might just have assumed Tom Phillips was 35 going on 45. Bearded and displaying remarkable maturity, the captain of that side simply didn’t look a teenager.
And he looked seasoned on the pitch, too, selflessly taking on the un-glamorous jobs and letting others take the limelight.
But fate has been against him since, with Phillips suffering a number of injuries, the most serious of which saw him smash his knee against Edinburgh earlier this season, a bump from which he is still recovering.
Shaun Evans
For much of the time since Evans’ exploits with the U20s more than half a decade ago, there has been a queue of players contesting the openside position at the Scarlets.
But he’s had the chance to prove himself at regional level this term with eight competitive appearances coming for the west Walians.
It hasn’t always been easy for the team, but against Ulster, Evans - along with Dafydd Hughes - performed excellently.
He is well thought of at Carmarthen Quins, for whom he has performed consistently well.
Harrison Keddie
Keddie gave Jason Strange’s team go-forward with his powerful ball-carrying and ability to cross the gain-line.
Strange called him "outstanding", adding: "He's a real leader which, at his age, is fantastic. He’s a huge man at 19st 3lb and 6ft 4in, is explosive off the mark and has great foot-work."
Keddie is a consistently strong performer for the Dragons.
But Wales haven’t yet come calling for him at senior level.
It could happen at some point, though.
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