Less than two weeks ago, Dewi Lake hobbled off the Twickenham pitch, covering his eyes to hide the tears.
It seemed to many that his dream of representing Wales at next month’s World Cup in France could be over.
But on Monday, the 24-year-old from Bridgend was named co-captain for the tournament alongside Jac Morgan.
After the injury scare, being chosen to lead his country was testament to his determination, according to his former teacher Caryl James.
She said she was “just devastated” watching him get injured against England, adding: “They zoomed in on his face and you could see the pain.
“He had worked so hard to recover, I was really hoping he was set up for a good run. It will just make him stronger. The character he is, he will just work harder.”
Injuries meant he had not played for Wales for more than a year, and the hooker lasted just 25 minutes of his return.
This put in doubt his World Cup participation right up until the moment the squad was announced live on S4C on Monday.
But maybe those closest to the former pupil of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd, in Bridgend, always knew he would make it.
Ms James told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: “A few months ago, I rang Dewi because I was doing a noticeboard in the school, and I wanted some inspirational quotes from sports personnel.
“His was just to never give up, to dream big because everything’s worth having, but requires a lot of hard work.”
Jac Morgan (left) and Dewi Lake are ready to lead their country in battle on the biggest rugby stage
This determination he showed to make the squad was obvious to her throughout his school life.
From the “extraordinary power” he showed in gymnastics classes to “all the energy” and leadership skills that brought everyone else’s standards up in class.
He was also “a big dreamer since a very young age”, and in his coursework for his GCSEs and A-levels, it was evident he wanted to play for Wales and captain his country.
Lake – in school colours – was described by his teacher as quiet by a “big personality”
But while this focus was generally admired by his teachers, it did occasionally bring stern words.
“I had to phone his mum and get him to put his coursework in on time, but she kept saying ‘he’s in the gym, he’s in the gym, I can’t get him out’,” his teacher said.
“So I had to tell him not to go and get it finished.”
In France, he will lead his country alongside Ospreys teammate Jac Morgan, 23, the two Welsh speakers giving their first interview in the language after being appointed, describing their almost surreal journeys.
Lake said there was not “another person I would rather be sharing this with”.
Morgan smiled and added: “I would never have thought this (possible) four years ago when we were playing together for the under-20s.”
Jac Morgan captained Wales in one of the World Cup warm-ups against England
But his teacher Carys Wilkins knew it would one day become reality from as far back as his primary school days.
“This hasn’t come as a surprise to me at all because from a very young age, he understood the game, he stood out as an exceptional player,” she said.
“So fair play to him he deserves everything that’s coming his way.”
His former teacher at Ysgol Gynradd Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, described him as “being excited but also nervous” about what is to come, yet “his feet are firmly on the ground”.
Ms Wilkins coached Morgan at under-11s and her reaction to his success at that level suggest there could be tears in the coming weeks.
“I remember when he had his first cap for west Wales, I was quite emotional,” she said.
“But seeing him on a world stage at the French World Cup would be something else.”
Source : bbc
