Tommy Reffell has been backed to bring the eye of the Tiger into battle for Wales against the big beasts of the southern hemisphere this autumn.
The seal of approval has come from Adam Jones, whose time coaching in England with Harlequins has given him plenty of insight into the emergence of Reffell.
The 23-year-old Wales flanker made an impressive debut for Wales in defeat to South Africa in the first Test this summer and backed that up with a man-of-the-match display a week later when the tourists levelled the series.
He could not quite help Wales win the decider in Cape Town, but Jones believes the emergence of Reffell at Leicester Tigers is proving invaluable for coach Wayne Pivac and his men as they build towards November Tests against New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia.
“It is tough sometimes to make that leap from club rugby to the international game as we have seen with different players,” says former Wales and Lions prop Jones.
“But Tommy has got that bit of niggle and physicality about him. He is not scared to put himself about.
“Playing for Leicester means he is up against Ellis Genge and Dan Cole and those types of guys in training.
“It has benefitted him and he was one of the stand-out sevens in that league this season. It’s given him those leadership attributes.”
Reffell made his senior debut for Leicester in an Anglo-Welsh Cup defeat at Bath in November 2017 then led Wales in the Under-20s Six Nations and throughout the World Junior Championships in 2018 despite being in his first year at that age group.
The Pencoed product began his career with the Ospreys U16s before switching to the Tigers’ academy and making such an impression there was talk of England trying to convince him to wear the red rose once he had qualified on residency.
Instead, even though he missed out on a first cap when he was overlooked for Wales’ tour of Canada and Argentina a year ago, he has made a huge impact in his first two Tests in South Africa.
Jones believes Reffell and the other Wales youngsters to have caught the eye, such as Sam Wainwright, can take much from the summer series against the world champions.
“The confidence they will have taken from winning the second Test will be tremendous and they can build on that when Wales pick things up again in the autumn,” says Jones.
