Wizard Flynn leading the way in Poland

The 22-year-old, who plays for hometown club Aberavon, has impressed coach Richie Pugh with his energy and, typically for a scrum-half, his vocal nature. With this weekend’s Rugby Europe squad displaying a more unfamiliar look than usual, Flynn aims to be commanding in both voice and form.
 
From making his World Series debut in Las Vegas in March to being named captain for this Grand Prix Sevens Series tournament, Flynn admits he’s living his dream. “My brother and a few mates actually came out to Vegas for my debut,” he says. “They booked the flights on the Wednesday, so it was great to have them there. It sums up the support you get from people in Port Talbot. It’s a rugby-mad town.”
 
His captaincy experience as a youngster coming up through the ranks with Aberavon Quins could serve him well this weekend (a period which included a Welsh Cup win with the youth team). On making the move from Harlequin Road to the Talbot Athletic Ground four years ago, he fulfilled a childhood aspiration.
 
“I grew up watching the Wizards,” recalls Flynn. “The Boxing Day derby between Aberavon and Neath is a particular highlight. They’ve always been the big club in town, so it’s been a privilege to represent them.
 
“My coach at Aberavon, Jason Hyatt, has been great when it comes to me playing sevens. He’s said from the start: anything that’s progression for a player will always get the club’s backing, one hunder per cent.”
 
Flynn also recognises how instrumental his employers for the last six years, Tata Steel, have been in helping him pursue his on-field ambitions. “They’ve been absolutely brilliant in giving me time off to allow me to represent my country.” The day after this weekend’s tournament concludes, he’ll be back in work at Britain’s largest steelworks. “I don’t think many companies would do that. It was tough with all the difficulties we faced last year, but things seem to have turned a corner for the better now.”
 
On the pitch, it was at the same tournament in Poland a year ago that Flynn made his Wales Sevens bow. “It’s been a pretty good year. I’ve played in four World Series tournaments, and it’s now nice to come back to Poland,” he says. “In that time I seem to have turned from a youngster into an old head!
 
“I like the look of this squad. Looking back on my first tournament here, it was just exciting. There’s no pressure, nobody’s expecting you to light up the tournament. It’s a bunch of young boys who are all keen. We’ve looked sharp in the limited amount of training we’ve had together. A pacey team of half-backs in this weather? There’s no reason for us not to give it a good go.”
 
Pool fixtures (Saturday 8th September): Wales v Germany (10:28 BST), Wales v Poland (13:35), Russia v Wales (15:58). Live stream on the Rugby Europe website.