Harry Randall belts out Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau as the 16-year-old captain of Wales against England at The Gnoll on a spring Saturday afternoon seven years ago.
Those under his command include a trio capped by Wales, Rhys Carre, Shane Lewis-Hughes and Owen Lane. The same can be said of another trio from the other side, England forwards Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Nick Isiekwe.
Within three seasons of losing that schoolboy international by two points, the scrum-half from Llandovery College had moved from heading his adoptive country’s youngest under-age team to helping his native England win the Junior Six Nations and reach the final of the Junior World Cup. It would appear to be just a matter of time before his role-reversal of that occasion at Neath turns full circle.
Instead of fizzing the passes out off either hand for Wales against England, he will be firing them out in the opposite direction. Saturday’s Red Rose attempt to knock Wales off their improbable perch and deny them the most surprising of Triple Crowns may come a bit too soon but no English player can have had a Welsh education to match Randall’s.
That is some claim considering some of those who have gone before him like Stuart Barnes (Bassaleg School and Newport), John Scott (Cardiff), Julian White (Bridgend), Tony Swift, Mark Keyworth (both Swansea), Colin ‘After Shave’ Smart, Jon Callard (both Newport), Ben Morgan (Scarlets) and the Vunipola brothers (Pontypool).
Randall immersed himself in Welsh rugby from the age of four, not at the big clubs but in places where the local community tend to revolve around the local club, places like Tycroes. Moving way out west from their home in Royal Berkshire to the Amman Valley must have been a culture shock for a family from Slough, leaving a town of more than 150,000 for a village in Carmarthenshire with fewer than 2,500.
Jobie Randall made the journey from east to west for a reason which had nothing to do with prospecting for gold or the discovery of Welsh ancestry. He made it because of rugby, as Meirion Powell, chairman of Tycroes RFC for 28 of the last 29 years, recalls:
“Tycroes went on an Easter rugby tour to Slough 20-odd years ago and they came to us the following year,” he said. “Jobie felt he had such a welcome in the club and the village that he upped sticks and moved his family and business to Tycroes.
“Jobie played for us for a season or two. He was a centre in the mould of Scott Gibbs. Never had time to get round them so he’d go straight through them. What you’d call a hard, direct rugby player.
“Harry’s inherited a lot of ability from his dad. He showed that talent from the first time he played for the under sevens at tag level, a typically cheeky scrum-half. Even at six years of age he had an intelligence and knowledge way beyond his years.
“You could almost guarantee that every time Harry got the ball he would score a try”
“While the other boys were learning the basics, Harry already had an aptitude for the game. It put him head and shoulders above the others. He had this ability to engineer moves from anywhere on the field.
“You could almost guarantee that every time Harry got the ball he would score a try. His family coming to live in a cauldron of rugby had a big influence on Harry and his older brothers Charlie and Jake who also played for us.
“When you consider that there are ten other rugby clubs within a tenmile radius of Tycroes you get some idea of the passion for the game in these parts. If Tycroes allowed Harry to make the most of his talents, then it’s only fair to say that the entire Randall family has had a big influence on Tycroes.
“Jobie runs a successful business and he’s been very generous in his sponsorship as well as providing three sons who have given excellent service to the club. Rugby doesn’t pay for itself at any level and everything at our club is done on a volunteer basis.”
The youngest Randall’s capacity for raising rooves at every stop along his journey from Tycroes to Amman United, Kidwelly, Llandovery College, Hartpbury College, Gloucester and Bristol can’t have done the family business any harm. Jobie is a roofer.
At Tycroes, they would have loved nothing more than to see the youngest son play for Wales. They understand why and have given news of his elevation to the England squad pride of place on their website under the heading: Cae Gelli, where it all started.
“Harry was born in England and he is an Englishman at heart,” says Mr Powell who is also the club’s secretary, auditor and club founding co-ordinator. “While we regret he will not be donning the Welsh jersey, we fully understand his reasoning.
“The Prodigal Son, unfortunately, has not yet returned and it may be quite a while before he does but he knows there will always be a special place for him at Tycroes.”
Randall’s imminent entry into Anglo-Welsh affairs at the highest level will update an already rich history. At Twickenham in 1994, when Wales lost the match and the Grand Slam but still took the title, England had a Welsh scrum-half and Wales had an English one…Dewi Morris, from Crickhowell, and Rupert Moon, from Walsall.
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