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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Mark Orders

Young Wales player sparks fury by walking into South African team huddle and taking their water during showpiece clash

Maybe Dafydd Jenkins simply lost his bearings in the U20 Summer Series final between Wales and South Africa.

After all, it was hot and sticky in Treviso, conditions that can lead to a man becoming disoriented. On the other hand, perhaps it was something else.

Maybe the big Welsh forward knew what he was doing and just wanted to unsettle his opponents.

Read next: The reasons for Wales' remarkable turnaround after crunch meetings and a change of attitude

If it was the latter, it worked.

During a break in play, the 6ft 7in lock walked over to where his opponents were gathered in a customary huddle and helped himself to their water, pushing past a Junior Springboks player as he did so.

Jenkins picked up a red plastic bottle and took a swig before a South African player snatched it off him as he was pushed away from where the junior Springboks were gathered. You can read more about Jenkins' ambitions as a player here.

The episode had faint echoes of former Llanelli back-rower Ian Boobyer joining a Wasps team huddle amid the muck and bullets of a European Cup match a couple of decades ago. The irrepressible flanker had made it a goal for the day to get under Lawrence Dallaglio’s skin, and he succeeded as the then much-decorated England international screamed at him 'Get out of here!'

Boobyer simply turned to Dallaglio and said: “What are you going to do about it? Phone the police?”

Jenkins didn’t look as if he said too much during his intrusion into opposition ranks. Instead, helped on his way, he just calmly departed and headed back to where his own side were based.

The second row actually banged in a huge performance for Wales on the night, making 16 tackles without missing and finishing as their top forward ball carrier, with his seven runs yielding 27 metres for his team.

Trailing 26-3 at half-time, Wales rallied against opponents who had previously disposed of Ireland, France and England in the competition, with Byron Hayward’s side performing strongly after the break, including a peach of a try from Mason Grady among their touchdowns.

South Africa finished as 47-27 winners.

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