To date he can boast 72 minutes of international action, with the 12-6 defeat to England and Twickenham being his only defeat in four Welsh outings. He made his debut in the autumn against Georgia, came on again in the win over the Springboks and got 17 minutes in his 6 Nations debut against the Scots.
It has been a sharp learning curve for the 23-year-old, who has thrust himself up the Welsh rankings to establish himself as the heir apparent to Ken Owens for the No 2 jersey. Last weekend he locked horns with the British & Irish Lions starting hooker, Jamie George, and now he is setting his sights on testing Ireland’s all-Lions front row in Dublin in Round 3 of the NatWest 6 Nations.
“It’s a big confidence boost for me getting 20 minutes and being trusted to have the game time. I am just enjoying getting out there,” said Dee.
“You just have to back yourself and know that the coaches trust you. That’s why they put you on, so go out there and execute.
“I just feel like it is good to earn your stripes with however many minutes you get. Ken is established and has played well for almost 10 years now and is one of the great hookers for Wales.
“We have different styles of play. Ken is a big ball carrier and big hitter, whereas I am more of a ball player really, although I do like to carry and get stuck in as well.
“Ken puts in the hard yards for however long he is on the pitch and then when the game opens up a bit it’s good for me to come on. Ken always puts in great performances for Wales and it’s good to learn off him.”
Having been in the Wales Under 20 team that reached the Junior World Championship final in 2013, Dee is now targeting a trip to the senior version at next year’s World Cup in Japan. By then he should have a lot more than a couple of hours of international rugby under his belt.
