THE FAMILY FAN CLUB WHO PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO SEE THEIR BOY PLAY FOR WALES
IT was a long old journey for Paul John, but one which proved very worthwhile in the end.
The former Wales scrum-half flew all the way from Hong Kong – where he coaches the national sevens side – in the hope of seeing his son Dan pull on the famous red jersey over the weekend.
When he embarked on the 12-hour flight to Heathrow, he wasn’t sure if his lad would be involved for Wales U19s in Sunday’s international against Scotland at Ystrad Mynach.
But the gamble paid off, as 18-yearold Dan not only lined up at full-back but was one of the stars of the show in a 31-12 victory.
His dad also got to see him play for his school Millfield and share in another notable win, as arch rivals Sedbergh were defeated for the first time in five years.
So, all in all, it’s been a pretty productive whistle-stop visit.
When I got hold of Paul before he headed back to Hong Kong, he was understandably a very happy and proud dad.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if Dan would be involved in the Wales game, because they hadn’t finalised things,” said the former Pontypridd and Cardiff Blues coach.
“I didn’t know if he was definitely going to be picked.
“But I thought let’s take a gamble and thankfully he was involved with them. It was very lucky, really.
“It was a great day. I saw lots of people I haven’t seen for ages.
“I’m really chuffed for Dan.
“It’s still a bit surreal in some ways. “Gethin Jenkins is doing the defence with Wales and he said he was feeling old because Dan used to be a ball boy with the Blues and now he is coaching him.
“It’s the same for Gareth Williams,
the head coach. He remembers Dan coming to watch Wales Sevens when I was involved with them. Dan would have been eight or nine at the time.
“It must be weird for them coaching him, because they remember him as a young kid.”
Paul had already seen his son playing for Millfield against Sedbergh just hours after flying into Heathrow last Wednesday.
“That’s the biggest game of the year for them really,” he said.
“They beat Sedbergh for the first time in five years, so it was nice to be there for that.
“It was good to catch both games and see a few people as well. I was really lucky.
“It was a bit of a fleeting visit. That’s what I tend to do now, back for a couple of days.
“It was just good to catch up with family and stuff and to see Dan play.
“It’s been great. It was definitely worth the visit.”
So what is Paul like as a watcher?
“I am quite quiet,” he said. “I’m competitive within, but I don’t really show it.
“Having coached for a long time, I know what some parents can be like on the touchline watching their kids play!”
Dan’s grandparents also follow his sporting progress closely, including Paul’s father Dennis, who coached Pontypridd, Bridgend and Wales back in the 1990s.
“My old man takes a lot of interest, going to watch games whenever he can,” said Paul. “He really enjoys it.”
Dan excelled at athletics during his time at Garth Olwg comprehensive in Church Village, while he has also played football for Cardiff City Academy.
And then there’s been the rugby, as he’s followed in the footsteps of his father and grandad – albeit not in the same No 9 shirt.
“When he first started playing, they put him at scrum-half straight away because they thought he would naturally play there,” said Paul.
“But he’s got more pace than we ever had, so back three probably suits him better.”
When Paul landed the job in Hong Kong in 2017, Dan followed him out there and played both rugby and football, ahead of taking up a place at Millfield School in Somerset.
“My wife, Helen, went to Millfield, so there was a connection,” explained Paul. “And Dan competed there in athletics, so he had seen the school and was keen to try and get in.
“It’s a great environment for any young kid, like an academy, with good coaches. He’s loved every minute of it.”
Now in his last year at Millfield, young Dan is focused on A levels and securing a place in University, while, on the rugby front, he could be a contender for Wales U20s in the new year,
given his sparkling display on the weekend. As for Paul, well he is relishing life in Hong Kong and being back on the Sevens circuit a decade on from coaching Wales to World Cup glory.
“I am really enjoying it. It was good to get back into Sevens from my point of view,” he said.
“The boys are great and we won the Asian Games for the first time in 2018. There’s a large Welsh rugby community out there with the likes of Dai Rees, Leigh Jones, Huw Watkins and Jevon Groves, who I coach with.
“You settle in really quickly and it’s a great environment to work in.”
Hong Kong missed out on automatic qualification for the 2020 Olympics with a sudden death defeat to Korea last month, but can still make it to Tokyo via a repechage.
“We are still reeling from that result a bit, because we were just 30 seconds away,” said Paul.
“But the Olympic dream is still alive.”
Paul lives out in Hong Kong with his wife Helen, who teaches at an international school, and their two daughters Sara and Beca.
For Christmas, they will be joined by Dan, with the family heading over to Australia for the festive period.
There will now be a few more sporting stories to tell over the dinner table after the events of the past week.