Rugby World hotshot - Dan Biggar
March's issue of Rugby World magazine profiles Ospreys and Wales U20 fly-half Dan Biggar.
Last Updated: 28/01/08 12:57pm
There's a battle raging in Wales for the No 10 shirt. Not the Jones v Hook tête-à-tête, however, but a few age groups below where Daniel Biggar recently leapfrogged team-mate Gareth Owen to take the starting berth in a Wales U20 match against the Ospreys.
With U20 Six Nations places at stake, and with new Wales coach Warren Gatland meeting with the squad to outline their potential to make New Zealand 2011, not to mention the IRB Junior World Championship taking place in Wales later this year, it was an important selection victory for Biggar.
But coach Patrick Horgan certainly knew he wasn't taking a gamble.
"Daniel is a clever player who thinks ahead of his years," Horgan points out. "He could potentially have the lot in years to come, thanks to his knowledge on the field.
"He knows when to kick and when to run, and Neil Jenkins has been working with him on kicking since the age of 15, so when he decides to kick he certainly can. I think he'll be pushing for the Ospreys fly-half shirt before long.
"He plays as a sort of cross between James Hook and former Ospreys ten Matthew Jones, so it will be interesting to see how he progresses."
High praise from the Welsh coach, and Biggar has clearly been impressing since making the step up from the under-18 side this year.
Plying his trade for local side Swansea as well as with the Ospreys academy, the youngster has his feet planted firmly on the ground and is currently just concentrating on success with his club outfits.
With a big year ahead of him, Biggar will be looking to fulfil the potential that could thrust him onto Gatland's radar for the build-up to 2011.
VERDICT The conveyor belt of quality Welsh fly-halves has found another gem.
