My rugby journey started with Carmarthen Athletic. In our youth days we had a strong side, and I played with guys like Josh Adams and Will Boyde. We went on to win the Youth Cup at Principality Stadium, and Leigh Halfpenny presented us with the trophy!
My grandfather was the chairman of Carmarthen Athletic, so I have strong ties to the club. When I got older I moved to their arch-rivals Carmarthen Quins, who were playing at a higher standard in the Premiership, in order to progress. Things had thankfully calmed down from back in my father’s day, when the rivalry between the two clubs was like something from the Wild West.
My uncle on my mother’s side is a mechanic. He’s pretty good with welding, so he built a big metal frame down in the Athletic barn. I’d have the key and go in most nights for half hour and practise throwing the ball at that.
That said, I have family members who have broken the mould a bit. My father’s brother, Stephen Elias, works in the West End, and has starred in hit shows like Billy Elliot. He’s doing all sorts of producing, directing and choreographing now. He’s a good laugh and has bundles of character.
We’ve got very strong competition for the number two shirt in this Wales squad, with Ken Owens, Elliot Dee and myself. We get stuck into each other, but we get on very well too. It’s not hard to draw comparisons between me and Ken: there’s an eight-year age gap, but he’s born on January 3rd, I’m January 7th; we went to the same school, Bro Myrddin; we play for the same region; our families have a strong connection with Carmarthen Athletic; and, of course, we’re both hookers.
I’m best mates with Ken’s cousin, Jack Maynard, who plays for Llandovery. I remember being in year six at Ysgol Peniel when Ken was just starting out with Scarlets. He was behind Matthew Rees in his position – similar to how I am with Ken now – and we’d be in Jack’s house, and Ken’s uncle would be shouting from the living room, ‘Quick, Ken’s on!’ in the last five or ten minutes of the game.
When Ken got Man of the Match against Tigers recently playing at number eight, I told him, ‘You’ve finally found your position, and you can stay there now!’ We had a good laugh, but he did a great job there.
In the Wales environment, we’re very fortunate in that we’ve got two former hookers in the coaching set-up with Warren Gatland and Robin McBryde. You learn a lot from them. Getting scrummaging tips from ‘Muccers’ is brilliant, and the same with throwing: he breaks it down a lot for the three of us. It’s the technical side which goes unseen, but it’s invaluable.
The first week in camp has been intense, but it has to be because international rugby is a different animal. The stakes are a lot higher: you might only get one chance so you need to get it right the first time. You’re under pressure.
Until I played against Tonga during the autumn, all five of my other caps had been away games – mostly on the other side of the world. That meant that none of my family had seen me play in a Welsh jersey until my sixth game. My first cap, also against Tonga, was in Eden Park in 2017, but my family had booked to go on the Lions tour a year in advance. They were gutted because they follow me everywhere, so having them at Principality Stadium in November was special.
My second cap on that 2017 tour was probably the biggest challenge of my rugby career. We went to Samoa where 80 per cent of the squad was ill with a bug. The temperature was berserk, as was the humidity. Playing the game with a bad stomach was horrible. It reminded me of my youth days because the Apia Park pitch was like a bog, except we had big, bad Samoans coming at us all day. The way we stuck it out made it a memorable win.
It can be tough during campaigns, because I am a home boy. I love Carmarthen, all my family are pretty much there. We’re all close. In the autumn I went six or seven weeks without going back there, and I found that difficult. It’ll be a similar story now during the Six Nations, but all my family love rugby and they understand that it’s all worth it.
It would be huge for me to make my first appearance in the Six Nations – certainly the biggest thing for me to date. It’s almost the pinnacle in international rugby. To get to wear the jersey would be brilliant, but there’s a lot of work to be done before that.
