Gethin Gibby is a very talented young rugby player from the Narberth area who has played rugby of the highest calibre in his age groups and has his mind set of a full-time career in the sport after representing Wales at under 16 and 18 levels.

He plays at full back and is already known for his solid defence, which he is able to swiftly turn to attack, his strong running and willingness to be a good team member, which he hopes will pay dividends as he is about to go into a challenging new season with Carmarthen Quins and perhaps some games at his home club, the Otters.

Early start as a young Otter

Gethin started out in rugby as an eight year old after he had watched the World Cup on television with his father Robert, who had played flanker for Narberth in his younger days, and took him along to the Lewis Lloyd Ground to join a team that was coached by Paul Thomas and Barry Walters.

"It was tag rugby and I remember that we all chased after the ball like headless chickens," admitted Gethin, "but I loved every minute of it and couldn't wait for the next training session or game.

Good coaching from Ken & Jeff

"We started out with the full-contact version of the game at under nine level and I started playing in the back row but one I moved up a year to play for Pembrokeshire Under 10s Ken Davies switched me to full back and I really enjoyed my new position in a useful team that included players of the calibre of Josh McLeod, Rhys Fawcett, Jonathan Clout and Scott Jenkins.
"Ken and Jeff Clout did a great job with us in the county set-up and pushed us all the way, but with an element of fun in some training sessions where their dry wit shone through!

"We had the same coaches throughout at Narberth right through to the under 16s when I was chosen to go for trials with the Scarlets (West) squad at Parc y Scarlets.
"There were over 50 taking part and the numbers were cut a couple of times until they decided on the final squad of about 30.

Lots of travel but great family support

"It meant an awful lot of travel because the squad then trained every Monday and Friday, with extra work in building up power with Simon Roach at the Strength Academy Wales' gym situated at Sir Thomas Picton School.

"But luckily my mother Sharon, who had played hockey and rugby on the wing at Cardigan, was very supportive, as was my dad and younger brother Dafydd, who plays in the Narberth back row for his age group.

More than useful athlete

Outside of his rugby, Gethin has been a more than useful athlete with Carmarthen Harriers, specialising in the 200 metres and representing his school and county for four years.

"I took part in the Welsh Championships on two occasions at the Leckwith Stadium in Cardiff in both 100 and 200 metres in 2013 and I just missed out on the medals as I came fourth on both occasions.

Giant steps forward . . .

"But gradually I found it hard to focus on both sports and I settled for rugby, with the first giant step coming when I joined Scarlets (West) and we took on our counterparts from the Blues, Ospreys and Dragons, plus RGC (North Wales. They were all very tough matches and we did really well but eventually lost in the final against the Ospreys at BP Llandarcy, which was disappointing but I guess part of my learning curve.”

Then Gethin was chosen to play for the Welsh teams called the Celts and the Druids in a festival of rugby at Wellington College, where he actually scored with his very first touch of the ball in a game where they drew 29-all with Scotland.

He also crossed the whitewash in a match against the French, where Wales won comfortably but sadly, there were no caps awarded for either match!

. . . And an even bigger one!

It was a similar story when he played under 18 rugby a year early and still made it into the Scarlets' squad for games against the other regions, including North Wales, and reached the final at Cardiff Arms Park against The Blues before just missing out on the winners' trophy in a hard-fought match.

He was also delighted to be included in the Welsh squad again for three matches and told us,
"It was again a real thrill to run out in our Welsh jerseys and singing 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ' brought a lump to all our throats as we took on Italy and beat them 34-0 at Ystrad Mynach and then edging home by 33-32 against Scotland at St Helens.

"We hoped for a hat-trick as we took on England but they were too strong for us up front and we could have no complaints about losing."

Sadly, again there were no caps for Gethin and the rest of the Welsh boys!

Aiming high

As well as his commitment to the Scarlets and his chance to represent his country, Gethin has studied at Coleg Sir Gar, staying in accommodation there and playing for the college team which was coached by Euros Evans that reached the Welsh Colleges' Final in both seasons, but they lost to Coleg y Cymoedd, which is close to Taffs Well, near Cardiff.

The next step for Gethin will be with his new role in the Scarlets' pre-academy squad coached by Paul Fish, where he will be eager to show his ability so that he can progress to the higher level - and he will also play for Carmarthen Quins and have Narberth as his second designated club for 2016/17.

And finally . . .

Ask him about influences on his career so far and of course he would immediately nominate his parents - but also told us that former influential Narberth skipper and Wales B cap Geraint Bowen is someone he knows that he can turn to for solid advice as a mentor and friend.

Geraint told us,
“Gethin is a grounded and sensible young feller who knows that it is hard work that will pay off, and I’m sure we will hear much more about him in the future.”

Gethin would love to fulfil his ambition of being a full-time rugby player and is ready for the hard work and total commitment that is required to achieve that aim - and we wish him every success because so far he has really flown the Pembrokeshire Rugby Flag with distinction!