Harri Doel knows all about the need for a hard hat having been at Worcester Warriors when the metaphorical roof fell in.
It was back in the autumn when the compact back-three man from west Wales learned that he and his fellow team-mates and some staff members were being made redundant amid the financial crisis at the English club.
Today, the 22-year-old still has need for protective head gear when he goes out on site while working for his dad’s construction company, Doel and Rowlands Ltd, in Llangadog.
It’s a part-time role that also sees Doel junior spending time in the office.
He plays rugby on a semi-professional basis for Llandovery and still harbours hopes of making it back onto the professional scene, but in the meantime there’s a need to stay busy and keep some cash coming in away from rugby.
His experience in a crowded player market highlights the difficulties that those unfortunate enough to end up as casualties of Welsh rugby’s current contract turbulence could face.
“I haven’t had any joy for this season professional rugby-wise,” said Doel.
“There have been a couple of offers but nothing really that I felt I could take.
“It’s tough in Wales at the minute, because there’s all this stuff with the Welsh Rugby Union going on and whether there’ll be enough money to contract players in Wales. The priority is to sort out contracts with players at the professional sides, I understand that.
“But I’m still hopeful something will come along for next season.
“I’m lucky enough to have a part-time job which I combine with my rugby with the Drovers.
“It’s with my father’s construction company. Sometimes I’m out on site, sometimes I’m in the office, doing admin and ordering — that sort of stuff.
“When he wants me to, if it’s a busy day, I’ll go out on site and help there. I’ll do whatever there is to be done. Sometimes I’ll labour, sometimes I do some carpentry. Whatever I’m needed to do, I’ll do.
“I have a maths degree, so maybe at some point I could make use of that, but at the moment I’m biding time and seeing how things go. I’ve had a look into it, but I haven’t jumped into anything yet, because I don’t really want to give up on professional rugby. I’ve been delaying it as much as I can, still playing rugby.”
But it’s been a sobering six months for the former Wales U20s player.
He had made a mark at Sixways as a fast wing or full-back with a penchant for the unexpected.
Rewind a year and he scored a try against Exeter Chiefs which was as memorable as most solo efforts in English rugby and beyond in 2021-22, seeing him field the ball some 75 metres out before advancing and stepping off his left foot to beat two defenders. There followed a swerve to the right and then a kick ahead for a touchdown which won the Welsh lad the Premiership Rugby try of the month award.
He became something of a crowd favourite and he settled at the club and in the city, with some detecting more than a faint echo of Josh Adams rugby route as a youngster who had left the Scarlets before pitching up at Worcester.
But then his Warriors dreams went up in smoke.
It was a brutally difficult time.
Doel said: “It was just a bit of a drastic change.
“Everything was going well —Worcester was great. The fans there welcomed me and so did the city.
“You would not have thought it but you ended up outlasting the club.
“All of a sudden you are jobless and you’ve had to completely change how you live.
“It was really upsetting and hard to take — upsetting that rugby’s come to this and nothing could be done to stop it from happening.
“A lot of livelihoods have been affected.
“It’s not just me. There’s all the boys at Worcester and at Wasps as well, while in Wales there’s talk of a fair number of players who could have problems in the coming months.
“I’m living back at home now.
“I’d bought a house in Worcester not so long after moving there, but I’ve had to rent it out.
“That said, these things do happen.
“I guess it’s how you deal with such adversity.”
He is enjoying his rugby with Llandovery, scoring a try in their victory over Cardiff in the top-of-the-table clash at Church Bank this week. “The club have been brilliant,” said Doel, part of the Wales U20s class of 2020 which contained the likes of Jac Morgan, Ben Carter, Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd.
“They’ve been nothing but supportive of me and said if a professional club came in then I could make a decision, which I really appreciated.
“It’s gone really well. We play a nice brand of rugby and there’s a good atmosphere in the squad and the fans are great as well.”
It would take a hard heart to begrudge Doel an enjoyable campaign with his hometown club.
Maybe a route back into the pay-for-play arena will yet open up for next term.
He’ll keep his fingers crossed.
He’s due some good fortune.
READ NEXT:
Six young players who will contest the Wales No. 10 jersey in the future
Mike Brown tears apart 'worst Wales team I've seen' and accuses Alun Wyn
The three unseen Wales squad players Warren Gatland will consider for final Six Nations matches
Wales international set to sign for English giants this week and throw Test career into doubt
