There have been two moments in the past week that have shown just how far new Wales international Mason Grady has come in such a short time.
The first came last Sunday, when Grady’s mother Julie posted two pictures of her son with Wales head coach Warren Gatland on social media.
Image No. 1 showed Julie and Grady with Gatland in 2013 on the day her other son Cory Allen made his Welsh debut.
The second, 10 years later, featured the same three people, but came after Grady Allen followed into Test rugby by playing against England. The photos, taken ten years apart, quickly went viral on social media.
Then, last week, 20-year-old Grady showed how young he is compared to his current Welsh teammates when he appeared before the media to reflect on his first international match.
Wales centre-back Mason Grady (second right), 20, has come a very long way in a very short time
Grady’s mum Julie posted two photos of her son with Wales head coach Warren Gatland on social media, the first in 2013 on the day her other son Cory Allen made his Wales debut
The second image showed the same three 10 years later after Mason’s debut against England
“It’s great to learn from the likes of George North and Dan Biggar,” said up-and-coming Cardiff talent Grady.
“I watched them all as a kid and I can remember playing the 2011 World Cup video game and playing with all of those (players). I just passed it on to Shane Williams and let him run through everyone.”
Grady added, “It feels like yesterday that picture of me and my mom was taken at the stadium watching my brother debut. It’s pretty crazy to see those pictures now.
“The whole family was extremely proud to be there to see me win my first cap. I had about 15 relatives there.’
In a Six Nations dominated by three consecutive defeats and chaos off the pitch, there wasn’t much to cheer for Welsh rugby supporters.
But on a positive note is the emergence of promising youngsters Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Christ Tshiunza, Dafydd Jenkins, Joe Hawkins and Grady who have all tasted championship experience.
In their defeat to England, Wales fielded Hawkins and Grady, both 20, as their midfield positions. All five players have gone through the Wales age group system.
Last season, Tshiunza, Jenkins, Hawkins and Grady were under-20 internationals. Their progression to senior level has been rapid.
Grady said it was a privilege to learn from veteran fly-half Dan Biggar (left)
There wasn’t much to cheer for Welsh rugby fans during this Six Nations, but the emergence of young players like Grady, Jac Morgan and Christ Tshiunza is a rare bright spot
Against England, Grady formed a promising center partnership with Joe Hawkins (left), also 20
“There was a moment when Joe, Christ, Dafydd and I sat together and said it would be great to play in the next World Cup,” said Grady.
“To play with those guys in the Six Nations for the World Cup is pretty crazy. Getting a cap with them was great. I definitely want more caps and build from here.
“I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. To be honest, I just wanted to get myself into the Cardiff team. I don’t know if I’m playing against Italy or France.
‘My debut was quite surreal. I was quite disappointed with the result, but proud of my first cap. It was an incredible experience to play in front of 74,000 people – a dream come true. I would like to experience it all again.’
Like his half-brother Allen, who won six caps for Wales and scored a hat-trick against Uruguay at the 2015 World Cup, Grady is blessed with size. At a whopping 6ft 5in and 17st 4lb he is a terrifyingly physical specimen.
Grady’s giant frame is eerily reminiscent of North’s, who hasn’t fared too badly.
This is Grady’s first full season at senior level after a serious knee injury hampered his development, but he is sure to improve further as he spends more time at Cardiff and Wales.
His international head coach Gatland has little choice but to continue giving the youth a chance and players like Grady will have another chance to impress against Italy on Saturday.
Wales will travel to Rome knowing that a defeat to the Azzurri would likely send them to the bottom of the Six Nations pile for 2023, with France in Paris as their final fixture.
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