As Warren Gatland’s selection for this weekend’s RBS Six Nations clash with Scotland proved – three players were dropped after the first win at Twickenham in twenty years – players can take nothing for granted when it comes to selection. That’s why Hook, just two seasons out of the Wales U21 side, is keeping one eye on who is coming up behind him as much as worrying about his senior competition for the Wales No.10 jersey.
Two years ago, when Wales last met Scotland at home in the then U21 Six Nations, it was Hook who was at outside-half for the home side. That team had just been beaten by England U21 at Worcester, so the parallels with the current U20 team are striking. Instead of Hook, it is another budding Ospreys outside-half who will be looking to steer Wales to victory at Rodney Parade.
Dan Biggar is the latest model off the WRU Academy production line and Hook had a few words of encouragement for him. “It was a great moment playing for Wales at U21 level. After losing at Worcester, we came back to beat the Scots at Rodney Parade,” recalled Hook. “We played in front of a big crowd and all the players felt it was a real step-up from what we had been used to. The important message from the coaches was that it was important to deliver a quality performance.
“Too often you can let emotion run away with you and forget about the skills you have been practising. Playing at international level at whatever age is all about staying calm, keeping a cool head and remaining focussed. The U21 side – along with Wales Sevens later that season – gave me the platform to launch my senior Test career. I didn’t expect things to happen so fast for me, but I was playing in the full Wales team in Argentina within a few months.
“When I finally got onto the field to win my first cap I was able to fall back on the experience of playing at U21 level. It proved to be a big help. I know Dan very well and have trained with him a lot. He is a real talent and I know he will do Wales proud.”
Alongside Hook in the Wales U21 side two years ago were three other players who are now full Wales internationals – Alun-Wyn Jones, Chris Czekaj and Jamie Roberts, who wins his first cap at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow – proving that the best talent rises to the top very quickly these days.
