Nineteen-year-old Samson Lee was one of the stars of the recent Junior World Championship as Wales Under-20s marched to third-place – their best finish.
He announced himself on the world stage as Wales became the first side to beat the Baby Blacks in the competition – with a 9-6 victory in Stellenbosch.
Lee and Wales’ all-Scarlets front-row demolished the New Zealand set-piece and sent giant prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi marching backwards at a rate of knots.
That performance even led to some pundits claiming Lee could be the man to eventually replace triple Grand Slammer Adam Jones in the Welsh set-up. But the Scarlets rookie is just concentrating on breaking into the regional ranks.
“It would be a big step up (filling Adam Jones’ boots) but I will take my time and hopefully the time will come to prove I can do it,” said Lee.
“The World Cup was really big for me and I can take a lot of confidence from that. I was playing against the best and picked up a lot of tips from that experience.
“The game against New Zealand just shows it’s not all about size, it’s about the ability you have.
“Now I’m just looking to get stuck into pre-season training from Monday. I want to play a full season of semi-pro with Llanelli and hopefully I can get a few games for the Scarlets.”
Lee has come through the Scarlets and Wales ranks alongside Kirby Myhill and Rob Evans and the trio will be hoping to take the step into regional rugby together.
The route for Lee and Evans was cleared following the double retirement of Iestyn Thomas and Rhys Thomas last season. But Myhill faces an uphill task.
With Matthew Rees, Ken Owens and highly-rated Emyr Phillips, Myhill could be forgiven for wanting to try his luck elsewhere.
But the Kiwi-conquering captain is determined to bide his time and master his trade under the tutelage of his hooking-rivals.
“I have two internationals and Emyr in front of me. It’s tough for me but I’ll work as hard as I can,” added Myhill.
“They’re three really good, top quality hookers. I just have to do everything I can and make sure I take any chances that come my way.
“The Scarlets is where I have always played since I was young and this is where I want to play.”
