British & Irish Lions George North and Leigh Halfpenny will have a new back-three colleague in Hallam Amos as Wales face Tonga – and he’s out to take his first steps to emulating them.
The 19-year-old has been handed hisWales debut by Warren Gatland for their clash against Tonga at the Millennium Stadium on Friday and where he’ll slot in alongside North and Halfpenny.
North and Halfpenny both started all three Tests on the successful Lions tour of Australia over the summer and retain their place in the Wales starting XV following their win over Argentina.
And Amos, who plays for Newport Gwent Dragons, is determined to do all he can to follow the path laid down by North and Halfpenny who both also made their Wales debuts as teenagers.
“George was capped when he was 18 and Leigh was 19 so it does show that players do rise quickly and if have a few good games and keep your name in the mix then anything can happen,” Amos told the South Wales Argus.
“It’s reassuring to know that they are there next to me and it’s good to learn from them. They were capped at a very young age as well, they’ve been through it all before and hopefully I can follow in their footsteps.
“On Friday there will be some younger players in the side with an eye to the future and hopefully I can be a part of that. At the beginning of the season I was just looking to carry on from last season and get a few more Dragons games under my belt.
“This is not where I expected to be but it is definitely where I wanted to be and hopefully I can impress. I’m not worried, it is another level up and the training has been intense but I am enjoying it so much and the boys have helped me settle in.
“My rise has been quite quick but I have enjoyed training and don’t feel fazed. I wasn't in the squad two weeks ago and I was watching the South Africa game thinking I’d love to be playing; now I am.”
