Theo Bevacqua completed the Wales age-grade hat-trick on Friday after earning his Wales U20 cap, having already gained U18 and U19 caps
The phone call that changed Theo Bevacqua’s life
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When you are a young and aspiring loosehead prop just starting out in the Welsh age-grade system, a call from one of the legends of the game is bound to make an impact. That’s exactly what it did for 18-year-old Theo Bevacqua when he noticed he had a missed call during a lesson at Eastbourne College. After the bell went he rang back and found he was speaking to Gethin Jenkins.
Theo Bevacqua earned his first Wales U20 capa against Italy last Friday evening at Colwyn Bay
The 134 times capped, three-time British & Irish Lion and Grand Slam winner asked Bevacqua if he would like to play a few games for Cardiff Blues in the Celtic Cup at the start of the season. It didn’t take long for him to answer!
“It was incredible, quite surreal. He asked me if I’d like to play a couple of games for the Blues in the A team and I said yes immediately,” said Bevacqua.
“Since then he’s become the defence coach with the Wales U20 team as well and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to learn from.”
Bevacqua continued his rise up the Welsh international rankings with an Under 20 debut against Italy last Friday. That completed a quick-fire hat-trick for the teenage front-rower, who played for Wales Under 18 in South Africa at the start of the season and then turned out for the Under 19 side against Scotland in December.
But no sooner had he made his Under 20 debut in Colwyn Bay than he had to head back to school at Eastbourne College to carry on with his A Level studies. He was back on the train to Cardiff this week to link–up with the Under 20 squad ahead of their trip to Cork to face Ireland on Friday night.
Former Wales star Gethin Jenkins surprised Theo when he asked him to play for Cardiff Blues
“It’s all a bit of a balancing act for me at the moment. I’ve got to get my A Levels in order to take up an offer at Cardiff University in order to be closer to the Blues set-up,” said Bevacqua.
“I’m in my penultimate term at Eastbourne College and I’m hoping to study Philosophy and Economics at university. The teachers have been amazing with me and have even come into give me extra help at weekends to make up for the days I miss through rugby training in Wales.”
The good news for Bevacqua is that a change in the timings of the World Rugby Junior Championships means this year there won’t be a clash of dates with exams. Last year Aneurin Owen and Teddy Williams both had to sit some of their A Levels in Argentina.
The Blues picked up on Bevacqua’s talent via the Welsh Exiles programme and made sure they convinced the one time Harlequins junior academy star that the Arms Park was the place for him to learn his trade.
He may have played for the Blues in the Celtic Cup at the start of the season, and featured for Wales U18, 19 and 20 over the past six months, but he still found time to captain Eastbourne College in regular school fixtures. From now on, though, his rugby is going to get even more serious.
It’s all a bit of a balancing act for me at the moment. I’ve got to get my A Levels in order to take up an offer at Cardiff University in order to be closer to the Blues set-up
“I wanted to give professional rugby my best shot and having got into the Welsh age grade system I was delighted when the Blues offered me a place in their Academy. If I can get the results I need to go to Cardiff University then everything will fall into place,” he added.
“I wanted to fully commit to Wales, and to fully immerse myself into the system at the Blues, so choosing Cardiff University seemed the best step.”
It will also stop him from having to make nine hour round trips on the train, or 450 mile trips in the car from his home.
With a grandmother from Neath, and an Italian father, he qualifies for a number of nations, but he feels very much Welsh. He even ran the gauntlet of his fellow boarders back at Eastbourne on Sunday by cheering for the French against England in the senior Six Nations match.
“My rugby master is a Welshman, Oliver Torri, and we enjoy dishing out a bit of stick to the other lads,” he added.
