When Brodie Coghlan answered his phone one evening earlier this week, he initially thought it might be a wind-up,writes Simon Thomas.
But then, after a few seconds, the penny dropped. It really was Steve Tandy on the other end of the line, telling him he was in the Wales squad.
Since then, the uncapped Dragons hooker has been on cloud nine as he prepares for Saturday evening’s BKT URC derby against the Ospreys at Rodney Parade.
“I am absolutely buzzing,” said the 24-year-old. “It’s a childhood dream come true. It’s extremely special.
“My family are absolutely thrilled. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Revealing how he found out the news, he said: “Steve Tandy rang me the night before the announcement.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I was just sat down, I answered a phone call and he basically let me know.
“I wasn’t sure if it was actually him! It came up as a number, but I obviously didn’t have the contact saved, so I wasn’t sure who it was.
“When he said his name, I paused for a second because I wasn’t sure if it was one of my mates having me on!
“But then I thought ‘Oh my God, this is actually him’ and my heart absolutely dropped. I was shaking. I was really startled.”
As for Wales head coach Tandy taking the trouble to phone him, Coghlan said: “He obviously has his own way of doing things and I took it very kindly that he let me know the night before personally.
“It meant a lot that he would reach out to me and congratulate me on a personal level. I thought that was a really nice touch. I really appreciated it.
“I went in and told my mum straight away and she was tearing up. It was a very special moment.
“I am just really grateful to have the chance now to potentially get a cap for Wales. I can’t wait. I am going to go in there to give my absolute everything and offer whatever I can.”
Born and raised in Newport, Coghlan had initial spells in the back row and at prop before switching to hooker at 16 on the advice of former Wales second row Rob Sidoli, his coach at Newport High School.
“Rob sat me down and said he could really see potential in me going to hooker,” he explained.
“He really helped me through it. We were doing loads of one on ones on my lunch breaks, working on my throwing. He was really good. He gave me loads of little tips and tricks.
“At the start, I wasn’t very good, but I bought into it and just kept getting better. It was probably the best decision I made with my rugby stuff because I love it there.”
Coghlan, who played his junior club rugby for Newport High School Old Boys RFC, then progressed into the Dragons age-grade set-up, going on to make his senior debut for the region in December 2022. H
e now has 42 appearances under his belt, scoring a try in his most recent outing against Cardiff Rugby last weekend. So what does he see as his strengths?
“I pride myself on working really hard and just giving my absolute everything,” he said.
“I’m not one to back down from a challenge, I’ll fly into anything.
“I have worked a lot on my set piece over the last year, so I would like to think I offer quite a good bonus in that, and I just work my socks off trying to get stuck into everything I can.”
In terms of his role models, he says: “There are obviously hookers I look up to. I love the way Malcolm Marx plays. He’s one hell of a player.
“When I was younger, I really liked Manu Tuilagi. A completely different position, but I just loved watching him play, loved how physical he was and just throwing himself into everything.”
For Coghlan, the immediate concern before linking up with the national squad is the clash with the Ospreys which could see him going up against Wales hooker Dewi Lake.
“I am really excited for Saturday. All eyes on that before anything,” he said. “I will give my 100 per cent and hopefully we can get a win. They have a lot of big players and I’m excited to get up against them and give them a go.
“Derby games are always a special feeling and it’s amazing to be a part of them. The stadium always feels so packed out on the derbies. You can hear it from the crowd. It just proper revs you up and gets you really going. It’s a class feeling.
“We haven’t had the results we wanted, but we have been working our socks off and it would be massive to finish this first block with a win. It would be amazing.”
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I am really excited for Saturday. They have a lot of big players and I’m excited to get up against them and give them a go...
