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Carwyn Leggatt-Jones is considered one of the best prospects in Welsh rugby
For most 18-year-olds, life is defined by familiar rites of passage: finishing school, navigating college, planning holidays with friends and taking tentative steps into adulthood.
For Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, it has meant something rather different.
While many of his contemporaries have been worrying about exam results and weekend plans, the young Scarlets fly-half has been directing seasoned professionals around the field, calling plays, controlling matches and instructing international forwards with more than 50 Test caps to their names.
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At an age when most players are still finding their feet in academy rugby, Leggatt-Jones has found himself orchestrating the Scarlets backline and assuming responsibilities usually reserved for far more experienced heads.
It is a role that demands authority, composure and confidence. Yet those who have watched his rapid rise insist that none of it has looked out of place.
“It has been quite surreal going into that environment,” the 18-year-old tells WalesOnline.
“I did a pre-season there but then started playing games with some of my heroes who I would have looked up to 18 months ago.
“It was quite daunting to start trying to tell Jake Ball and Sam Lousi where to go.
“Sometimes I have to put a rocket up the forwards!
“But that is part of the position. They know nothing is personal because we all want the best for the team.
“I quite enjoy having that leadership role because it is something you have to have as a fly-half.
“I wouldn’t say there was much change from doing it with Carmarthen Quins. I had to tell them what I wanted from them.
“It was scary to even speak to them in the first place but they were amazing.”
Leggatt-Jones made his Scarlets debut at just 17, but his first start arrived in circumstances that would have tested players twice his age.
On a fog-bound evening in Treviso, with visibility reduced to little more than silhouettes beneath the floodlights, the teenager was entrusted with steering the Scarlets attack against Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.
The occasion offered a striking illustration of rugby’s changing generations. Leggatt-Jones had barely celebrated his first birthday when Gareth Davies made his Scarlets debut, yet nearly two decades later the pair found themselves sharing the same backline.
“I remember a month before the Benetton game I had been in and around the environment but still didn’t have a voice,” he said.
“I wasn’t scared but I was intimidated by the whole environment.
“But having a first start with Gar was surreal. He’s played 300-odd games for the club now and he’s a stalwart there.
“So having him inside me on my first game was unbelievable.
“Even through my four starts, whether he was travelling reserve or coming off the bench, the little insights and stuff that he has from experience were second to none and almost carried me along at times.
“It was a pinch-yourself moment.
“I don’t think anyone on the pitch had experienced that before. The ref was on the pitch and was like, ‘We are going to have to call this,’ because you literally couldn’t see more than 30 metres.
“But having Gar inside me taking control when he needed to and having Dane Blacker come off the bench had a really good impact.”
The teenager from Carmarthen possesses the attributes coaches covet in a modern fly-half. Equally comfortable taking on the line or bringing those around him into the game, Leggatt-Jones combines sharp decision-making with the vision to spot opportunities others often miss.
There have been mistakes along the way, as there inevitably are for any young player learning his trade in professional rugby. Yet those moments have been outweighed by flashes of genuine quality.
He has also had to learn to deal with expectation from supporters and the media at such a young age.
“I wouldn’t say I’m over the moon with how I played,” he said.
“I had moments in games but I wouldn’t say I put in a full performance.
“I feel like I could have given a bit more to the team but that’s something I’ll have to take on the chin and learn from.
“I think, as a player, it comes with the job, especially as a fly-half.
“You have pressure kicks and pressure decisions. Pressure is part of the game.
“You can’t shy away from that but I wouldn’t say I look into it too much.
“The only thing that really shows is performances and, if you are performing well, stuff is going to be said.
“My only focus is playing as well as I can.”
Leggatt-Jones will wear the No.10 shirt for Wales U20s at the World Rugby U20 Championship, where they face hosts Georgia, defending champions South Africa and Uruguay in their pool.
“As a pack, the boys showed they could compete with England and France, who are two of the most physical teams at U20 level,” he said.
“I’m not looking past the first two games but we know South Africa are coming and we know they are a powerhouse.
“We can’t shy away from it and it is something we’ve got to go after.
“We want to move the ball and test teams.
“We’ve got a dangerous back three. Bows (Tom Bowen) has shown what he can do this year and Lewis Edwards has come back into the frame.
“All the back-three boys, the more space we can give them with the ball, the better for them.”
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