Unknown Super Rygbi Cymru player tracked by English, Welsh and French clubs (original) (raw)
Prior to Bridgend's recent Super Rygbi Cymru clash with Swansea, head coach Scott Baldwin was asked for one of his players to keep an eye on during the 80 minutes ahead.
Without hesitation, he replied: "Ryan Wilkins."
The young centre would soon show exactly why his coach was so quick to respond, crossing for a superb solo try 14 minutes in to the 38-10 win at the Brewery Field.
The former Cardiff academy product has certainly caught the eye with his early performances in Super Rygbi Cymru. Recently, Baldwin revealed that there had been some interest from over the border.
"We’ve already had unofficial enquiries from English clubs about Ryan," the former Wales hooker told RugbyPass recently. "He’s quick and a brilliant defender.
"I’ve given him a licence to be decisive and make reads, and against Newport he hit one of their players so hard he dropped the ball and one of our wingers picked it up and ran the length of the field.
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"In the next set he came up with a really good read, forced a turnover and we scored off it. So he’s really bought into what we are trying to do."
WalesOnline understands that some Gallagher Premiership teams - as well as some Championship sides - are looking at Wilkins. A Pro D2 club in France has also made enquiries, while one of the Welsh professional sides is keeping very close tabs on the centre. Based on what Baldwin says about him, it's easy to see why.
The man himself is fairly relaxed about any speculation about his future.
"There's been a little interest," Wilkins tells WalesOnline. "I've had a chat with Scott and I know he mentioned it.
"I just try knuckle down with Bridgend or get ahead of myself. I want to stay in my bubble and focus on playing.
"I do want to be back in the professional environment and I feel I'm ready for it more than ever. My ambition is to go professional, but, for now, my main focus is doing well for Bridgend.
"I want what's best for the team, although it's good for me to push on. This new league seems to have a bit more exposure. It's just about knuckling down with Bridgend and hopefully something comes about it."
Right now, Wilkins is combining his rugby with a full-time job as a Welsh Rugby Union hub officer. Previously, he worked as a bricklayer but had to give that up as his knee kept swelling up.
But he has previously been in the professional environment, having been in the academy at Cardiff when he was thrust into the matchday squad for those European games against Toulouse and Harlequins.
Those matches, while much of the senior squad was stuck in quarantine, handed him a first taste of rugby at the highest level - something he's keen to get back to.
"It was unbelievable," he says. "When I saw the team-sheet go up, it was like a dream come true.
"As a youngster, you always want to play at the highest level. When you see the opposition, with the likes of Antoine Dupont in their team, it was mind-blowing.
"My family were over the moon. It felt like I was doing a lot of people proud. We had the licence to go out there and chuck the ball about. It was two weeks I'll never forget."
Wilkins looks back on his time fondly, having learned a lot from the likes of Rey Lee-Lo and Willis Halaholo. "It was brilliant," he says. "I really enjoyed it.
"I learned off some top quality players and they were as good as gold. They'd sit down and go through their games with me, pointing out the things that you might not think matter but they do."
Unfortunately, an ACL injury knocked him back, robbing him not just of potential Wales U20s caps, but also his confidence. However, after a year spent with Pontypridd, the Pontyclun native is now enjoying his rugby.
It's helped by working under Baldwin, with the former Ospreys hooker having assembled a coaching staff of ex-internationals - Bradley Davies, Matthew Jones and Matthew Morgan - at the Brewery Field.
Baldwin has made no secret about his desire to be a positive coach who forces his players to make decisions, with Wilkins enjoying learning off him.
"Ever since he's come in, I've loved playing under him," he said. "I'm starting to think that he's building his trust in me.
"As well as heading it all up, he leads our defence as well. I pride a lot of my game on my defensive work.
"Whether that's work-rate or constantly making reads, I like to stay on my toes and make those reads. He's given me the licence to go out and make those reads, play the picture in front of you.
"He's very professional in what he does. He analyses the game in ways I didn't know it could be analysed. His attention to detail and the little things and ways he adapts his drills to fix it, I've never seen anything like it.
"He wants us to bring that line speed and put teams under massive amounts of pressure. But to be able to get off the line constantly is down to fitness and I don't think we'd be able to bring that without what we did in pre-season.
"Everyone has bought into that. It's a different system to what I've played before. It's always been about making the read and pushing them to an edge. Scott has instilled the mindset that if we all make a mistake, we make it together. If we're all up high, then the skillset to get around a high defence isn't easy."
Defence is something Wilkins prides himself on. "I enjoy making reads and bringing aggression to the defence," he says.
"I'm not the biggest of players, but I feel some of my reads can get me out of trouble against bigger centres. Attack-wise, I feel like I've got good decision-making. I like to play the picture in front of me.
"My speed has developed a lot since coming back from injury, while I like to keep the ball alive with offloads. I like to keep busy around the park and try be a leader on the pitch. I like to have the coach's trust in me and have a voice in the changing rooms."
Having started as a hooker growing up, he switched to centre at U15s level while playing in the Dewar Shield and never looked back.
"Justin Burnell came up to me after and said I think I'm going to keep playing you at centre," he adds. "I've enjoyed it ever since.
"I like the way Sonny Bill Williams plays with the offloads, while I like Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts. But the centre I watched the most was Brian O'Driscoll.
"The guy was all around with his game. He had a bit of everything - run, pass, kick, offload. The way he changed his game and kept defenders thinking. That's what I want to do."
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