The Ospreys’ fly-half is set to start for Wales in their second Test against Japan on Saturday
As Dan Edwards runs out under the roof in Kobe this Saturday, the number 10 will be sitting proudly on his back for the first time at senior Test level.
Two bench cameos in the Six Nations introduced him to life in international rugby, while Warren Gatland’s departure mid-tournament introduced him to life in Welsh rugby. It is, after all, a madhouse. It takes a certain breed to cut through the nonsense and survive in the circus.
There is a sense, though, that Edwards is that type of player.
There’s a swagger to the Ospreys fly-half, as shown by some big moments early in his career.
But, as Wales look for someone to step up and, as Wales football manager Craig Bellamy put it when speaking to the squad, harness the excitement of being the one to end the losing run, you could come to the conclusion that the 22-year-old from Port Talbot might just be the sort of character to grab that moment.
“I think so,” said Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt about Edwards’ temperament. “Time will tell.
“He’s a young kid. He just seems unflustered. I use Steff Emanuel at Cardiff as an example.
“Sometimes you just know, before they’ve even passed or kicked a ball, they look at home on a field with Toby Faletau, which is quite a daunting experience when you’re a kid.
“It didn’t make me laugh at the time, but I did respect it. We trained against the Ospreys this season. It wasn’t a live game, we were just practising scenarios against each other.
“I didn’t know Dan, so I said can you kick-off long and right for us. He said, no we’ve kicking off down the middle this week. So I said but we’re receiving long and right, so just kick long and right.
“Then he kicked down the middle! After I laughed with Mark Jones because that’s exactly what a 10 would do.
“That’s what Dan Biggar or Gareth Anscombe would have done. Instead of being annoyed with him, I genuinely thought afterwards that this kid has got something.
“As a 10, you need a bit of spikiness. If your forwards ask you a question, you need to look them in the eye and tell them with absolute certainty.
“I just knew he’s got that. He’s a nice kid, but he’s got an opinion and he’s unflustered. He didn’t get picked because of that!”
Sherratt, who himself was a fly-half with Cinderford, joked that wasn’t the type of attitude he had in his own playing days. “That’s why I’m not playing for Wales!”
But that stubborn streak is something Sherratt admires about Edwards. However, there’s more to the player than just his minerals.
“He has got some X-factor, Dan,” added Sherratt. “I’m learning about the players – it’s obviously only my second campaign, it’s my second time of coaching Dan.
“What’s caught my eye? Well, two things: one – and it’s the most important one for a fly-half – he’s got a very, very good head on his shoulders in terms of he’s got a great attitude, he’s very decisive, which is huge, he leads the team well.
“And the second thing, he’s a triple threat, so what I mean by that is he can run, pass and kick. I didn’t realise how quick he was, really, until this camp, but over the last couple of weeks, if he’s seen a gap, he’s got good pace to take it so he’s got some X-factor.”
