CAN YOUNG WELSH ACE MAKE HIS MARK WITH ENGLAND’S TOP CLUB?
Can young Welsh ace make his mark with England’s top club?
THERE was an almost wistful air about the social media post Christ Tshiunza put out at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown. “Not quite the way things were supposed to end,” the teenager tweeted as his time at Whitchurch High School came to an abrupt, virus-enforced end.
“Whitchurch, it’s been a pleasure.
“Owe a lot of my achievements to @WhitchurchPE and @WHS-_Rugby.”
Unless this writer is missing something, that’s a classy way to sign off as a schoolboy, with a generous nod to those who’ve helped him on his journey so far and a hint of how much the 18-year-old enjoyed his days at the educational establishment that Gareth Bale, Sam Warburton and Geraint Thomas passed through.
He is an interesting young man is Christ Tshiunza.
Where do we start?
First, with the name, perhaps: it’s more than a bit unusual in these parts, but his pals refer to him simply as “Chris”.
His surname is pronounced
“Chinza”.
Next, his background. Born into what he describes as a ‘French
Christian family’, he lived in the Congo until he was six, with the said family settling in England initially and moving to Wales in 2010.
It didn’t take long for his rugby ability to set him apart.
A SOUGHT-AFTER TALENT
Towering over his team-mates with various Rhiwbina age-grade and Cardiff Schools sides, Tshiunza quickly became a player to watch, packing down at lock and using his commanding height to dominate lineouts.
The 6ft 6in forward played for Wales U18s at the age of 17 and hit the headlines last year when he committed to a four-year deal with Exeter Chiefs, arguably now England’s leading side. He starts there next season.
The BBC subsequently described him as “one of the most sought-after teenage properties in British rugby”.
The good news for Welsh rugby supporters is that despite reportedly being eligible for England and France, Tshiunza is keen to eventually make the senior Wales set-up, saying last year: “It’s a bit ambitious but I would like to be in the team for the next World Cup.”
Some will raise eyebrows at such a statement.
But when an individual has ability, it is pretty much always accompanied by ambition.
Cut to Dan Biggar in the autumn of 2008, with a reporter asking about his desire to play for Wales sooner rather than later. Never short on self-belief or drive, the flyhalf could scarcely believe the question. Of course he’d be up for a shot at playing for Wales – today, if possible; at the very latest tomorrow.
Anything else was time wasted. So let’s be positive and acclaim such ambition.
CHARACTER IS DESTINY
But no-one should believe Tshiunza is dreaming dreams above his station.
“He’s one of the most humble young men you could wish to meet,” says Derwyn Jones, his agent and former Wales lock.
“I’ve known him since he was 14 and he is very, very likeable.
“Not only is he softly spoken and polite, he is also bright and articulate, a lad who knows what he wants and is intent on putting in the work to get it.
“His feet are very much on the ground and he doesn’t like all the fuss and attention.
“But he’s focused on being the best player he can be.
“He’s a credit to his family and to Whitchurch High School and in particular those who have helped him with his rugby and his development.
“Christ has a lot going for him.” Sir Alex Ferguson once said of Ryan Giggs: “I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.”
What were Jones’ feelings when he first spotted young Tshiunza on a rugby field?
“I was coaching Cowbridge at age-grade level and we came across Rhiwbina three or four years ago,”
he says.
“We had a decent side and won the game, but their standout player was Christ.
“He was probably twice the size of most of their players and, while he was raw, he was athletic, moved well and could play – really play.
“He went on to play for Cardiff Schools U15s. At that point I was coaching Vale schools in the Dewar Shield. We beat them for the first time in 25 years but I noticed he’d developed a lot during that year and since then he’s improved with each season.
“He’s another one off the conveyor belt of athletes that they’re producing at Whitchurch.
“If he continues to progress, he could go a long way.
“But, whatever happens, he’s a level-headed boy with a good head on his shoulders and he’ll just take it step by step.
“I’d encourage people just to see how he develops.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD FORTUNE
Jones says three factors are key to a young player going on to make it in senior rugby: character, skill and natural physical attributes. He believes Tshiunza ticks all three boxes, but stresses there are variables that can’t be controlled.
“Those three factors provide a youngster with a foundation,” he says.
“Christ has them all. He’s a big lad, he can run a lineout, get about the park and carry well. He can also hit hard in the tackle.
“He has a desire to get better, too. “But to go on and become a good pro player or even an international you need some luck, too: luck with injuries, luck with being part of a good environment and luck with having a good coach who rates you and can develop you.
“There are those factors and a million and one others that contribute to a player becoming what he wants to become.”
WHY EXETER?
Tshiunza’s move to Exeter is partly linked with his desire to sample life at the local university. A bright spark, he has been undertaking Alevels in PE, biology and business at Whitchurch.
Cardiff Blues were understandably keen to keep him within their orbit.
But the boy wanted to branch out.
“Cardiff Blues did all they could,” says Jones.
“Richard Holland and John Mulvihill met with Christ and his dad and mapped out an educational and rugby pathway for Christ through to the first XV but they have also been in the game long enough to know that some you win and some you lose.
“Sometimes players decide to go somewhere for academic reasons or just to try something new – have a different life experience – and that’s what Christ wanted to do in the knowledge that he’s joining a great rugby environment.
“It’s an exciting time for him. “For Exeter to target him at such a young age says a lot more about him than I could say.
“Their coach Rob Baxter is a great judge of talent and they are not seen as England’s premier club for nothing. They do a lot of good things there and have an excellent record for developing talent.”
‘PATIENCE NEEDED’
Jones hopes the public will be patient with Tshiunza and not expect too much too soon.
“We sometimes have a habit in Wales of building people up only to knock them down,” he says.
“But if people give their best in any walk of life, then we should applaud them whatever happens.
“Christ is a young man with his life in front of him and he has the ability to go far.
“But we’ll all just have to bide our time.
“Development takes time, but if you get it right it can produce exceptional outcomes. So far, the development process for Christ has been outstanding, and my thinking is, as he starts a fresh chapter in his life, that’s going to continue.
“I’m truly excited about what lies ahead for him.”
Whitchurch High School was evidently superb for Tshiunza and it was a shame about the handbrake stop on his time there.
But the old adage tells us that what feels like the end is often the beginning.
Assuredly, Christ Tshiunza is a name worth remembering.
Indeed, most will consider it hard to forget.