English! Wales prodigy Dafydd ‘Baby Horse’ Jenkins is fired up for Cardiff clash with England 

Dafydd Jenkins is making a name for himself at Exeter but on Saturday the young Wales lock will rediscover his hatred for the English — thanks to his gran.

The 20-year-old prodigy from Bridgend has emerged as the long-term successor to the great Alun Wyn Jones, having honed his craft across the border in Gloucestershire and Devon.

As the son of a former player nicknamed Crazy Horse, ‘Baby Horse’ is ready to use all the benefits of his family’s oval-ball heritage, including the dislike for the eastern neighbours.

‘It’s nuts,’ said Jenkins Jnr. ‘Growing up in Wales, if an English kid transfers to your school, you are taught, ‘Don’t bother with them’. As you grow up, you get it from your parents, but it’s mainly my gran. She hates the English and drills it into me! If I get picked this weekend, she’ll be loving it.

‘When I was 16 and at Hartpury College, there was still that vibe. A lot of Welsh boys go there. They will stick together and the English boys stick together. Exeter is probably the first place I’ve been where it feels like everyone is really together and it’s quite nice. But if I play on Saturday it will be good to be back in the old mentality again. I’ll have my gran in my ear!’

Dafydd Jenkins has emerged as the long-term successor to the great Alun Wyn Jones

In recent months, Jenkins has been identified as a bright Welsh prospect and such is his remarkable confidence and authority at a young age, the sports science student has already captained Exeter. There is a spiky, confrontational side to him too, as demonstrated when he barged into a South Africa huddle during the last junior World Cup, to take a swig from one of their drinks.

Perhaps he is more of a chip off the old block than he realises. ‘My old man (Hywel) played for Llanelli and Neath,’ said Dafydd. ‘He was a good player, just a bit nuts off the pitch! He knew he had the talent to go all the way, but he’s living through me now — as is my mum. His nickname was Crazy Horse, so all his muckers call me Baby Horse!’

Having played in Porthcawl and at district level in Bridgend, Jenkins went through the Ospreys academy but moved to England to continue his development at Hartpury — which has helped produce Test players of several nationalities.

He dabbled in other sports but there was a sense of inevitability about his ultimate path. ‘I didn’t have a choice,’ he said. ‘In Wales, if you are my size, you can’t do anything else.

‘My uncle was a player, my dad’s dad too. Even on my mum’s side, my gramps — Richard Gronow — played for Wales Schoolboys with Gareth Edwards. He has the cap in his house. We got it framed for one of his birthdays and he was over the moon with that.’

When he was young, Jenkins would watch the national team in Cardiff and now he is part of it, but with a mild hankering to still be up in the stands, enjoying the noise and mayhem.

Jenkins  will rediscover his hatred for the English on Saturday — thanks to his gran

‘In Wales, tickets to the rugby are gold dust,’ he said. ‘You have to get them for your birthday or something, they are quite expensive. All you wanted to do is go to the stadium because it was electric.

‘Now, to have the chance to be on the pitch is mental. Singing the anthem is really special to me. My family get steaming — sometimes you wish you were there with them!

‘I don’t think I’ve been to a Wales-England game. I remember my dad got a ticket for the Wales game where they won 30-3 (in 2013). I watched that game on the telly and it was probably one of the best days of my life. It was just nuts watching Wales smash ’em.’

Having followed Christ Tshiunza’s rapid rise from Exeter University into Wales’ Test side, Jenkins explained how his debut in November allowed people back home to understand how his career was taking off.

‘I thought there was no way I’d play, but I was on the teamsheet and my whole town went crazy,’ he said. ‘They don’t see what you are doing at the Chiefs, but everyone watches Wales so they would come up and say, ‘You’re actually doing all right at rugby’!’

He certainly is doing all right at rugby. Wales need good news at the moment and the arrival of Jenkins is definitely that.