Cabango hungry to join big bro Ben in Wales red

THERE was a bit of a tossup in the Cabango household last weekend over whether to watch eldest son Ben play football for Swansea City or see younger brother Theo in action for Cardiff RFC.

With only two years between the rising young starlets – Theo is 19 and Ben 21 – there are going to be lots of weekends like that in the future.

Having already made his mark at Cardiff Arms Park with his electric pace in his four outings for the Blue & Blacks, Theo is hoping to follow a similar trail to Ben on to the international stage.

As well as 75 games under his belt for the Swans, defender Ben has earned five full Welsh caps. Covid meant Theo missed out on junior age grade honours for Wales, but he hopes to push into the reckoning for Wales U20 and beyond.

“We’re all so proud of Ben. He still has a long way to go, but he has achieved so much already and he has definitely got a great career ahead of him,” said Theo.

“What he has done is an extra boost for me. I just want to get to the same level as him and he is a great example of what you can do with determination and passion.”

Theo is not only using his big brother as inspiration, but also the young guns who have pushed their way into Wayne Pivac’s Welsh squad.

The latest teenage recruit is Christ Tshiunza, who used to play age grade rugby at Cardiff with Theo.

“I’ve just got to try to get to the same level as Christ. It would be nice to play in the same team as him again,” said Theo. “There is definitely more to come from me. Playing for Cardiff is a step closer to where I want to get to.

“Seeing players like Christ, Louis Rees-Zammit and Ben Thomas come through into the Wales side at a young age makes me and others think ‘why can’t we do that?’

“Just training with, and now watching, Christ makes you realise what is possible with hard work and dedication.”