'In my blood': the Wales rugby stars still coaching their boyhood clubs

Elite sport often pulls talented youngsters away from home early — Lionel Messi left Rosario for Barcelona at 13, while Cristiano Ronaldo left Madeira for Lisbon a year younger. Welsh rugby tells a different story, with several current and former professionals staying closely tied to the community clubs where they started.

Josh Adams, capped 70 times for Wales and a British and Irish Lions tourist, still serves as assistant attack coach at his boyhood club Hendy. Wales back-row forward Aaron Wainwright, despite moving from Dragons to Leicester Tigers, remains director of rugby at Whiteheads RFC.

Other examples include Wales centre Joe Hawkins, who helps out at Ystalyfera, Wales back-row Harri Deaves, heavily involved at Pontyclun, and former Wales Under-20s captain Ryan Woodman, who supports Caldicot. Wales and Lions forward Justin Tipuric set an earlier example, spending years coaching at Trebanos.

Not about money or optics

Hawkins, 23, says Ystalyfera is deeply personal to him — his grandfather was club chairman and president, his grandmother worked in the burger van, his mother worked as physio, and his current head coach is his cousin. He explained that his involvement has nothing to do with money or career development; instead, it offers a break from the pressure of professional rugby and a return to a setting where people play purely for enjoyment.

The article notes that at the 2022 football World Cup, only Qatar and Saudi Arabia fielded squads made up entirely of players from their domestic leagues, as most top footballers are absorbed early into academy and agent systems. Welsh rugby, by contrast, still allows a player to return and run a village training session on a Thursday night, preserving a connection to the place that shaped them.