Tom Prydie will become the youngest player to appear in the Six Nations when he plays on the right wing for Wales against Italy at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, at the age of 18 years and 25 days. He will also become Wales's youngest player, clipping 24 days off the mark set by Norman Biggs in 1888.
Prydie has only made two starts for the Ospreys, both in the LV Cup, and he was a replacement against Viadana in the Heineken Cup last December, when he became the youngest player to appear in that competition. He has not played in the Magners League.
He is not the youngest player to appear in the championship – Frank Hewitt was 17 years and 157 days old when he played at fly-half for Ireland against Wales in 1924. The scrum-half Johnny Quirke was a couple of months older when he appeared for Ireland at Twickenham in 1962. Scotland have capped five players before their 18th birthdays but only one, Willie Neilson, against Wales in 1891, appeared in the championship. Mathew Tait is the youngest player to have appeared in the Six Nations – the England centre was two days shy of his 19th birthday when he faced Wales in Cardiff in 2005.
Prydie was not considered ready to face the media and was made available for one television interview, which was conducted some distance away from where the team announcement was made. The Welsh Rugby Union later put an interview with him on its website.
"I was not taking much notice when the team was announced because I was not expecting to play," said the 6ft 4in Prydie, who is 15 years younger than Wales's other wing on Saturday, Shane Williams. "I did not quite hear the team and only realised what had happened when Lee Byrne nudged me and said I was on the wing. It is unbelievable: I just thought I had been chosen in the squad with the future in mind and I was left shaking in shock."
Prydie replaces Leigh Halfpenny, who may need a shoulder operation in the summer. "We need to look at our options for the future," said Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach. "Tom has pace but he does not mind contact and he has done well in training since we named him in the squad two months ago. He will front up physically."
Prydie is one of five changes from the side that lost to Ireland last weekend. The 21-year‑old openside flanker Sam Warburton replaces the veteran Martyn Williams and three Lions – Mike Phillips, Gethin Jenkins and Ryan Jones – return from injury at scrum-half, loosehead and No8.
Gatland has punished his players in training this week with mistakes, such as dropping the ball, leading to everyone being made to do sprints and diagonal runs.
"We needed a kick up the backside," Shane Williams said. "This is the strongest squad I have been involved with and we have not done ourselves justice, even if it has not been for a lack of effort."
Gatland wants Wales, who have lost to England, France and Ireland, to finish the tournament on a high, before their June game against South Africa in Cardiff and two summer Tests in New Zealand.
"We had hoped for better decision-making on the field, having given the players a say in the development of our game, but maybe we were a bit early in that" he said.
"I do not think we are far away and having experienced players returning from injury meant we could have a look at Tom and Sam. It is certainly not the end for Martyn Williams, but no one in the side is bullet-proof. We have a big year ahead of us and it is important we take a look at players now."
