Ffredi Easterby, son of Scarlets and Ireland great Simon and TV presenter Sarra Elgan, made his Wales U18s debut on Saturday, cheered on by his family. The 17-year-old backrower, a Cardiff Rugby academy member, was part of the Wales U18s squad that coach Richie Pugh took to Stirling University for a six-day training camp.
Wales U18s impress in Scotland
On Saturday, Wales played two 40-minute matches, drawing 12-12 with Scotland U18s before edging Italy U18s 14-12. Easterby, who has also represented Wales at cricket, is a player whom those within the Welsh system are very excited about.
The backrower comes from good rugby stock; his father, Simon, is currently part of Andy Farrell's Ireland coaching team and was in charge of defence on last summer's British & Irish Lions tour of Australia. His grandfather, Elgan Rees, is also a famous name in the rugby world, having played on the wing for Neath and Wales during the 1970s, and he also went on the 1977 Lions tour of New Zealand.
A family affair
Easterby’s mother, Sarra, is herself one of rugby’s most respected broadcasters. The Easterby family, including the couple's daughter Soffia, who plays age-grade hockey for Wales, journeyed to Stirling to watch Ffredi’s Wales debut, with his proud mother later taking to Instagram to share the moment with her followers. "Special day supporting Ffred and the U18's boys in Scotland," she said.
Sarra previously told WalesOnline of her pride watching her son, saying: "It is exciting and it's really nice to see. I know it's tough with Welsh rugby at the moment, but being someone who has watched Ffredi's ages from 16 through to 18, the talent in that group - we should be positive."
"These kids desperately want to become Welsh rugby players. We need to hang onto that. With everything that's going on, it's easy to forget that this next generation still want to play for Wales. They want to pull that jersey on. It's a really nice experience, although I'm not good watching him. I just want him to come off the field safely, without getting injured. I think that's the priority for parents. It's a very different feeling watching him to watching Simon - not that I didn't want Simon to not get an injury! It's just different."
Other famous names in Wales U18s
Ffredi Easterby was not the only player carrying a famous rugby surname. Ospreys second-row Jacob Jones is the son of Ryan Jones, captain of Wales’ 2008 Grand Slam-winning side, while hooker Bobbie Bennett is the son of former Wales international Huw Bennett.
