Hendy boy Josh Adams has paid tribute to the influence his home club has had on his life and his rugby career.

The village, which straddles the border of Carmarthenshire and Swansea, had the privilege of naming both Adams and Aaron Shingler in Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad on Sunday – with all 31 players’ home clubs front and centre of the announcement video.

“I want to say thank you to Hendy. I grew up there, going down on a Saturday to the park to watch the team play,” says the 24-year-old. “I played age grade rugby there, and even went on to play three or four times for the first team. It’s where I spend the majority of my time when I go home, where most of my friends play, and it’s where we socialise. The rugby club really is the focal point of the village.”

It was at Hendy that Adams discovered his love for the game, and the club’s impact still resonates for him today. “It’s given me a lot – including all of my friends, more or less – and all that has inspired me in some way to try and put Hendy on the map. There’s now two of us on the international stage who can do that. Aaron and I are two boys from the village who are out to make Hendy proud.”

Shingler’s father, Craig, is an influential figure at the club who has recently helped coach the women’s team to great success in its fledgling years. “The girls team started just a few seasons ago and got off to an absolutely flying start. [Wales Women fullback] Lauren Smyth is up here playing now. One of my good friends, Steff, coached them too, and to have a senior member like Craig opting to coach the girls has been huge for the club.”

A number of his family members are among the age grade players at Hendy, including his eight-year-old brother, Osian. A proud Adams was on the touchline recently to watch his sibling in action.

Volunteers are the foundation upon which community rugby is built, and Adams sings the praises of the likes of club secretary Anne-marie Thomas. “She’s done a fantastic job in making the club a central part of the village,” he says. “A couple of weeks ago the club held its second cider festival, which was a massive success. The whole of Hendy was down there, including my parents. It’s such a tight-knit community and it’s great to have the club doing so well, which is reflected in its on-field success.”

Indeed, Hendy recently enjoyed back-to-back promotions, with last season being their first in Division One. It seems things can only get better with the news that Adams and Shingler have committed to helping out a young squad that’s already impressing on the pitch. “This year, me and Aaron are going to help out with coaching as much as we can. When we come back from Japan, Aaron will be assisting with the forwards and I’m going to help out with the backs. It’s a way for us to give something back to the club.”

The pair have already been down a handful of times, but with their busy schedule – not to mention the demands of international rugby – time has been limited. “We’ve both said we’ll be there much more after this World Cup and we’ll throw some ideas around and impart some of the learnings we’ve had from professional rugby. We are very lucky to be doing what we’re doing, because not everybody makes it. Most of the kids at Hendy dream of playing for Wales, so I hope they can benefit from having us around the club.”

Find out more about Hendy RFC by visiting their website.