New Wales recruit was discovered in South Africa and 'stalked' by Rupert Moon

NEW Wales recruit Olly Cracknell could finally get his first international cap over the coming weeks after replacing Taulupe Faletau in Steve Tandy’s squad.

- JON DOEL

For Leeds-born Cracknell, it will be deserved reward at 31 after first being brought into the Welsh system by a persistent former Wales star.

Former scrumhalf Rupert Moon, who was previously appointed as the Welsh Rugby Union’s North Wales development officer in 2012, got wind of Cracknell’s talents when he was a teenager playing out in South Africa.

He used his powers of persistence, admitting he “stalked” the youngster in a bid to convince him to join RGC.

His efforts were successful, setting Cracknell on a path that would earn him a Wales Under-20s call-up and a successful move to the Ospreys, where he thrived under now Wales coach Steve Tandy.

“Olly had registered on the WRU website as a Welsh exile when he was 16,” Moon previously told us.

“You can identify players from that list who you might be interested in and Olly was one of those. He was playing in South Africa at the time. He had gone on tour there with Leeds Grammar School and decided to pay his own way to go back and join the Borders Academy in East London, where he stayed for eight months.

“I know from speaking to him about it that it was pretty brutal. He was training four times a day, sharing a room, but he wanted that personal and rugby development.

“He ended up playing in places like Loftus Versfeld and Newlands, which was a great experience for him.