At 22 years of age Daniel Morgan is one of the new breed of first team players at Haverfordwest Rugby Club who loves an all-action approach and in his games at scrum half is always on the look-out for quickly-taken tap penalties.
This season has seen Dan switching to full back, which has hindered his chance to restart games quickly but he relishes the chance to play with the No 15 jersey on his back because it allows him to counter-attack from deep positions - and his performances have helped The Blues feature heavily in the race for promotion.
Range of sporting interests
Dan also enjoys a range of other sports like football, cricket and, more recently, weight lifting at the SAW gym in Haverfordwest, but it is now rugby that he acknowledges as his major sport after a spell when he was younger where he played football on a Saturday with Camrose AFC and then for Haverfordwest juniors on Sundays under the watchful eye of Andy Curtis and Steve Barnett.
He played centre midfield for Camrose as they won silverware on a regular basis with Frank Bryce as team manager, and at scrum half in the Blues' team which won the cup for their age group on finals' day, beating Narberth.
Good quality youth rugby
He also played for Camrose during his first season at youth level but then chose rugby for two seasons in the Haverfordwest Youth team that included players of the calibre of Luke Harvatt, Wilson Curtis, Ryan Banner and Ashley Sutton, plus twins Carwyn and Llywelyn Jones.
"The twins were brilliant ball winners who have gone on to play rugby at a higher level and all the others progressed to senior rugby - and we reached the final of the Griffiths' Cup before losing out to a very strong Crymych Youth team.
Then there was a short break before he joined the senior ranks but watching Haverfordwest beat Tenby in the KO Cup Final at Whitland provided the stimulus for his return and after a tough stint of pre-season training with Matthew Davies at Cross-Fit he joined the Blues’ senior squad with Barry John as coach.
Sharp learning curve in relegation season
"Barry was brilliant with us and I started my first game for the seconds at outside half to get into the groove before being picked on the bench for the firsts at Llanybydder in freezing cold conditions - but I really enjoyed the final 20 minutes, despite us losing.
Dan would readily admit that last season was a tough one as Haverfordwest were relegated from Division Two (West) to Division Three (West) (A).
"We played against some very big packs and experienced players and every game was a battle but I learned a lot from a couple of matches at No 10 and the rest at scrum half.
"Some of the supporters gave me some stick about taking too many quick penalties but Barry always encouraged me to think on my feet and I grabbed a few tries from it - and I think I did well from my first full season of senior rugby."
Family matters – and followed dad into cricket
That Dan should be involved in sport is perhaps only natural because he hails from a family where his father Dave played cricket in Aberdare and then as a run-getter for Camrose, whilst mum Leeann played hockey in her younger days. Younger brother Jake plays at outside half in STP and for Pembrokeshire in his age group - and as a central midfielder with Camrose, whilst sister Nia is a keen swimmer.
Dan not only played football for Camrose but also had a few seasons with Steve Briers at Haverfordwest County, as well as playing cricket for Camrose from his mid-teens after regularly watching his dad play.
He was roped in to play for the seconds alongside characters like Gelly James, Dai Isaac and Robert John before joining dad in the first team, where his best performances were a 4 for 22 haul against Kilgetty last season and 30 runs in another match (his best-ever was 48 not out as a nipper).
Sad at Camrose’s demise – but trying out a new sport
But sadly his cricketing story doesn't end there because last season saw Camrose fail to raise a team towards the end of the season and so had to surrender their place in local league cricket.
"We had players who couldn't or wouldn't commit themselves every Saturday," admitted Dan, and it was a great disappointment, especially for the older players and supporters - and hopefully we will be able to get a team started again as soon as possible."
His most recent sporting interest has been weightlifting at the Strength Academy Wales gym in Sir Thomas Picton School, where he has received lots of good advice from the boss Simon Roach and assistant Justin Head.
"There is always plenty of support from them,” Dan told us, “and the other lifters in an atmosphere where hard work is required, but always with a bit of fun during the sessions.
"I follow the programme that Simon has set out for me and my totals in the 'Clean & Jerk' and 'Snatch' sections have improved as a result."
Bump starting a bus is no fun!
Back on the rugby front Dan is part of a team which clearly enjoys each other’s' company, as evidenced by an away match last year when Luke Harvatt was due to celebrate his birthday.
But as they got on the bus a phone message came from 'up the line' saying that the match had to be postponed - so it was unanimously agreed that it was 'Swansea here we come' and after a couple of pints at the Bush Inn en route they went to their opponents' clubhouse, and spent the rest of the afternoon there.
When they re-boarded the bus to travel into Swansea for the night, however, it wouldn't start and those in the clubhouse were treated to the sight of Dan and Co giving the full-sized bus a jump start!
Fresh start in Division Three and early success
This season started well under new coach Jason Davies and Dan switched to full back because Richard James, Lee Summons and Tom Parry were also in contention for the scrum half berth.
So Dan volunteered to try his hand at full back and scored four tries in the opening matches in an excellent start which only ended when a last-ditch penalty gave Cardigan victory over the Blues.
"It was a bit of a blow," Dan told us, "but we made amends with a win at Milford Haven, thanks to a wide-angled penalty from Mikey Jones in the closing stages.
Vital wins keep Blues near the top
"Pembroke (away) was another important win because they were on the crest of a wave at the time and although they are physically strong we played some good rugby to win 22-5 and stay in contention with Milford and Cardigan."
Dan would readily admit that playing as the last line of defence has different demands but he is relishing the challenge, especially defending high balls because he is only 5 feet 7 inches tall.
But he just puts in all the effort he can, which is pretty much a Daniel Morgan characteristic, and we look forward to watching his brand of running rugby for Haverfordwest at Fishguard Road for many years to come!