Moriarty: Red rose was gateway to red dragon

Ross Moriarty and Nick Tompkins have been in this position before; as team-mates counting down until the big collision between England and Wales. But the pair were wearing the red rose of England six years ago, not the three feathers of Wales.

Moriarty and Tompkins were part of the England Under-20 side who crushed their counterparts from across the Severn 67-7 in the 2014 Junior Six Nations. It was a performance which marked them out as favourites to win the Junior World Cup in New Zealand a few months later and they duly did so, defending their title when beating South Africa in the final.

Moriarty, 25, had played against Wales Under-20 in the 2013 final and as the son of Paul, who won 21 caps for Wales, and nephew of Richard, who won 23 – including eight as captain – plenty of eyebrows were raised at the time. Even now there is, at the very least, a whisper of dissension.

On Wednesday, Gavin Henson, the Grand Slam-winning centre, questioned the notion. “Fair enough [playing for England] at under-16s,” Henson told Walesonline. “But when you’re under-20s you’re an adult, so to put that England jersey on doesn’t sit well with me.”

Unsurprisingly, Moriarty does not agree with this view. “I took it as an opportunity, which I grabbed with both hands,” he said. “If I hadn’t taken that route, I might never have played for Wales. So you say, ‘He should never have played for England, blah, blah, blah.’ That’s not the case – you just have to be the best you can.”

Moriarty was born in St Helens, when his father was turning out for Halifax rugby league side. “I only lived in England for two years and then I moved back to Morriston [in Swansea] until I was 16 and moved to Gloucester, when I went to Hartpury College on a rugby scholarship,” he said. “My best friends are from Morriston and I’m pretty Welsh, if you get me, even though I played for England. That was more about the opportunity and the coach’s belief in me.”

It was an unusual journey from

God Save the Queen to Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, but one that is plainly becoming more common. However, Moriarty never expected that he would be joined in the senior Wales ranks by his pal in the England Under-20s back line; that stocky centre with the cockney accent.

“The media were surprised when Nick was called up and so was I,” he said. “I know him well. I sent him a message asking him if he knew how to get to Cardiff. It’s quite funny. I’m not too sure how Nick is actually qualified. I think it’s through his grandmother [Enid, from Wrexham]. I went to play for England to come through and play for Wales and Nick has done the same.

“He’s fitted in really well, doing some great things in the three games. He’s shown his ability with ball in hand and his speed and scored a great try against Italy and made a nice break against France. He’s still very fresh and hasn’t had much experience at this level, so he’s only going to get better.”

There will be familiar faces in opposition. Moriarty played with Henry Slade and Luke Cowandickie in 2013 and then, when Tompkins came of age a year later, with Maro Itoje. But if any Welsh fan is concerned that there could be some incentive issues playing against a side with whom you won two World Cups, Moriarty has a blunt message. “Every time I go on the pitch it’s personal – whether it’s Italy, France, Ireland or Scotland,” he said.