GUNS YOUNG

LOUIEHENNESSEY WALES U18 CENTRE

Louie Hennessey has signed a contract with Bath to go alongside his studies at Bath University and the 18-year-old is excited to be a part of the club’s plethora of young talent.

Hennessey signed a two-year contract with Cardiff Rugby aged 16 and enjoyed his time with the Welsh region but decided to move to the West Country to balance his studies and rugby.

He said: “My time is coming up with Cardiff now. It's been a good experience and I've learned a lot from them but I'm ready for my next chapter now.

“I went and looked at the facilities at Bath and got a nice feel for it. The link with the university and rugby was perfect for me. There's a lot of changes at the club for next season with new coaches and players but they've got a good group of young players, so that's what drew me towards them.”

Hennessey represented Wales in this year’s U18s Six Nations Festival and despite Wales finishing with no wins from three games, he feels privileged to have represented his country.

He said: “It was a great experience. We weren't successful and didn't win anything, but it was great to be out there and meet new people. To have my first real tour away with a rugby team was amazing and it was a real honour to play for Wales.”

Hennessey started playing rugby aged six at his local club

Llanishen

RFC and stayed with the club for 10 years until Covid hit when he was 16.

He said: “My mum took me down there and I've loved rugby ever since. I played for my school Llanishen High School, and I've also been involved in the district teams, Cardiff Schools U11s and U15s and I then got into Cardiff Rugby at U16s level and have just progressed from there.”

The centre grew up looking up to former Wales star Jamie Roberts but in recent years has become fond of England captain Owen Farrell – slightly unusual for a Welshman.

He said: “Living in Wales and being a centre, I grew up looking up to Jamie Roberts as I saw him go on Lions tours, international tours etc. In the last few years, I've looked up to Owen Farrell which is a bit of a weird one being a Welshman, but I've always liked the way he leads from the front, is a big personality and I've heard that he's an amazing professional. Also, I loved the way Sonny Bill Williams played and enjoyed watching him with his audacious offloads and his overall handling ability.”

Hennessey is the latest young star off the Hartpury College production line with the speedy centre enjoying a successful time there.

He said: “In my first year there wasn't much rugby due to Covid, but we had a few games in May that were friendlies that got us ready for the ACE season. We won the ACE League with 10 out of 10 wins which was brilliant but now my attention has turned back towards my ALevels.”