'He shows size doesn’t matter, that you can still hit the big guys'
RugbyPass had a very Welsh lunchtime the other day in Cape Town, an interview with the legendary Sam Warburton over Zoom getting followed by a second-floor in-person rendezvous with U20s full-back Cameron Winnett.
The ex-Wales skipper wanted to know who we were going to interview and after he was told it was Winnett, he said he had heard good things about him but hadn’t met him personally.
One person he did very much know was Mark Jones, the interim age-grade head coach who was appointed in May following the team’s wooden spoon Six Nations. “They have had a massive improvement under Mark Jones, he has done some massive things already,” enthused Warburton.
Wales leading New Zealand 19-5 at half-time in Paarl before losing by just a single point was no fluke; they genuinely played well and demonstrated clinical attack in a game that ended with a four-try bonus point in the 26-27 loss.
They also looked sharp in the second half versus Japan, coming from behind to pick off Japan 41-19, and they will now wrap up their pool schedule when clashing with unbeaten France in Athlone on Tuesday.
That match will be a true barometer of the work getting quickly done under the recently appointed Jones. It was just over 15 weeks ago when the Byron Hayward era ended with a humiliating 17-67 loss to the French in Oyonnax and that margin must now close, especially as Sebastien Calvet Pool A leaders have opted to make 11 changes to their team after swatting aside New Zealand 35-14 last Thursday.
One player who has been retained by the French, though, is rising star Pololo Tuilagi, whose 145kg presence generated headlines last week following his delayed arrival in South Africa due to a visa issue.
Winnett didn’t confirm his exact weight to RugbyPass, but it’s safe to say there is quite a size difference between the lock and the full-back if the 84kgs the WRU website has him listed for is spot on. Good job then that he can rely on some Cheslin Kolbe-inspired stepping skills for evasion.
“Definitely. His footwork and his size, how he shows that size doesn’t matter on the pitch, and you can still hit the big guys being that small, and score some of the amazing tries that he has. I always enjoy stepping, my footwork, and I enjoy scoring tries and celebrating with my teammates.”
Winnett explained he wants to get bigger but doesn’t reveal how much. “Being stronger and bigger helps and I definitely want to be stronger and bigger. That is currently what I am trying to work on.
“My main work-on is trying to get stronger in the gym, focusing on my eating and focusing with S&C coaches, sitting down with them and seeing what I can do. They have been giving me individual plans for my food, calories that I need and what types of food that I need to eat, stuff like that.”
Wales are sharing their downtown Cape Town hotel with Georgia and the entire vibe around the tournament that is being played for the first time since 2019 has enthused Winnett.
“It’s a class experience being out here in South Africa playing some of the best teams in the world, playing some of the best up-and-coming players coming through. It will definitely help me in my career, playing in different places, playing in different styles, playing against different styles.”
He has especially enjoyed seeing Morgan Morse in action under the guidance of coach Jones. “Morgan brings a lot to this team, obviously his physicality, just really getting stuck in. I enjoy watching Morgan a lot and I enjoy playing with him. We are a very close group.
“Mark has brought a lot of energy and has given us a lot of confidence to go out and do what we can do. Just the little stuff, the little details he has given to our game has been massive for this group, and it showed against New Zealand.
“I’m a very attacking player but I go into games trying to do the basics first. The basics are the high ball stuff, defending in the backfield because you are the last line of defence. That’s my main focus and then I know everything else will come with that.”
Winnett was five when he first started playing. “I remember my first game running the other way, calling the ball like a forward pass, but a few games after I scored a load of tries and got really into it,” explained the Cardiff senior academy player who needed just four minutes on his Heineken Champions Cup debut in December 2021 –the perfect antidote following the developmental frustrations of the lockdown.
“It was definitely a proud moment for me and my family,” he said about the try scored versus Harlequins at The Stoop. “I’ll never forget seeing my family after the game, seeing the smiling faces and how proud they were of me. I was just grateful for the opportunity and quite lucky.
“It [lockdown] was definitely gutting because I missed out on the Wales 18s stuff. It was literally I played a game against Scotland and then covid came and it stopped us from playing in the Six Nations with Wales 18s, but I carried on training in lockdown on my own.
“That is where I went into the academy later in covid and that is when I got my first academy contract, in between covid and the end.”
Winnett is chuffed by his family’s support. “I’d doubt I’d be where I am without them. They sacrificed loads of hours taking me to training, picking me up from training, but they have enjoyed it and they now have the experience of being here in South Africa watching me play.
“I am glad to give back. They are out here for the full four weeks and they have supported me wherever I go. I don’t think they have missed a match.”
Away from rugby, he is into football. “I’m a big Liverpool fan. I’ve gone 10 to 15 times probably. The last game I went to watch was Brentford at home in Anfield the season before last. I wasn’t able to go this season; it’s quite hard to get tickets.”
Back to the rugby: What does the future now hold for Winnett when the Junior World Championship is over and forging a club career becomes the aim again? “I’m still young and don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I need to take every moment as it comes, but I definitely want to start having more game time with Cardiff.
“That is probably my aim next year and hopefully kicking on from there. I don’t want to plan too far ahead. You have got to take every moment as it comes.
“I definitely have a better understanding of the game now. Physically I still have got to push myself in that area, but I am definitely feeling a lot more comfortable than I was before.”
Comments on RugbyPass
lol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
195 Go to commentsBrett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
1 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
4 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
4 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
195 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
195 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
195 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
3 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
3 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
4 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
195 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
195 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
195 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
195 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to comments