Dewi Lake: Hooker's family travel from Magaluf to Twickenham to support new Wales captain

Dewi Lake with Wales fans at an open training session at the Principality Stadium

Hooker Dewi Lake might have been heavily trailed as a Wales captaincy candidate.

But the Ospreys man admits he was taken aback when asked to lead his nation by Warren Gatland against England at Twickenham this weekend.

"It was Monday morning, I was on the physio bed, and he came over and asked if I'd like to captain the team," said Lake.

"It was a bit awkward for me, probably because you're stunned at first and I just said, 'I'd love to'.

"I don't think anyone would turn the opportunity down but there was a bit of silence where I just said the one word because I was so shocked.

"It is an honour to be able to do it and I'm privileged he asked me to lead the boys out this weekend."

Lake, 24, was keen to share the news with his family but he could not reach them all at first.

"My mother (Louvain) and sister (Iola-Belle) were in Magaluf so I didn't get a reply from them for a bit because they were out clubbing," said Lake.

"My Dad gave me a typical thumbs up emoji. They're made up. They've put a lot of effort in for me as well, driving at 6am to get you to under-18s or under-16s training.

"It's as much my achievement as it is theirs. They're the people who've put the time into me, along with coaches.

"From a young age, they taught me how to be who I am."

Lake says they will be in south-west London on Saturday.

"They'll be there for Saturday and I'm sure they'll be excited going up on the bus on the weekend as well."

Lake will be looking to follow the example of fellow former Wales Under-20s captain Jac Morgan who led the side so successfully against England last week.

"Jac is a great boy and we can all agree he captained the side valiantly last weekend," said Lake.

"My captaincy style changes sometimes varied on who you're on the field with.

"There's boys that don't need to be told anything, they've got the experience and know what they're doing.

"Maybe some boys like a pat on the back if they've done something well or an arm around them if they've messed up.

"Some boys need to be shouted at if they've messed up because that's what kicks them into the next gear. Your style is all about knowing your team and knowing who you've got around you and being able to cater to how they are going to react to things.

"You can't be one-dimensional and shout at everyone because some boys will react poorly and you might not get the best out of them.

"It's important to try to lead from the front, lead by example, as Jac did last weekend. Hopefully if I can do anything as well as he has, I'll be onto a winner."

Dewi Lake (right) and Jac Morgan are both former Wales Under-20s captains

Gym prowess

It's not always been rugby for Lake. He was a schoolboy gymnastics champion good enough to feature in a home nations competition, and also enjoyed swimming, football, table tennis and golf as a youngster.

Former Wales wing Caryl James taught Lake at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in Maesteg.

"My first memory of him is from year seven, he was a muscular boy who could do these complicated gymnastics moves," James told BBC Radio Cymru.

"I was shocked to see the talent he had [in gymnastics]. He loved rugby. He played in the back row for years before we moved him to the front row.

"He had great skills but he was also physical and he'd run through everyone. He was captain from year seven until he left school.

"He's always been a natural leader. He would always take on extra responsibilities. You could see from a very young age that he had everything needed to be a captain.

"We're all so proud of him. He's worked hard. He's recovered from some serious injuries and those setbacks have made him stronger.

"There's no bigger honour than captaining your county and I know he'll enjoy the experience."

Learning the role

Lake converted from the back row to hooker and was thrust into the Wales Under-20s set-up, captaining the Wales youngsters to a famous victory over New Zealand in the Junior World Championships in June 2019.

Lake joined he Ospreys and considered former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin, the 2015 first-choice World Cup hooker, as a mentor.

"It [Lake's success] has nothing to do with me!" said Baldwin.

"He has been a great professional, although there is one thing. When I first left the Ospreys I remember Duncan Jones [Ospreys forwards coach] asked me to do a throwing session with him. Dewi's response at the time was I have a haircut at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning!

"Since then he has changed his ways and is very diligent and last season when we were throwing together, he would make the effort every day to come in."

Lake's positional switch required him to learn a new set of skills.

Throwing into the lineout is what Lake has had to learn and Baldwin has seen the improvements after working with specialist coach Simon Hardy.

"If you look at somebody like Dewi the way he plays the game, he has had a couple of niggles but you will never have to ask him to go out there physically because he naturally goes out and does that, that's the biggest part of his game," said Baldwin.

"Simon has done a lot of work with him at throwing over the last 18 months and he has the fruits of his labour. He is coming out now and looking relaxed and composed at regional and Test matches which is a huge compliment to him and his ability."

Baldwin believes Lake is in line to be Wales' first-choice hooker in France and a co-captain contender with Morgan.

Ken Owens is out of at least the tournament group stages with a back injury, while Ryan Elias suffered a hamstring problem in the opening World Cup warm-up game against England last Saturday, with Elliot Dee and Sam Parry also in the training squad.

"The fact Gats has made him captain sends out a bit of a statement at such a young age," said Baldwin.

"Him and Jac could potentially be co-captains, I would imagine they are the front-runners. It's a great opportunity for Dewi and one he deserves given the season he has had."

Starting spot

Lake will be only making his second Wales start on Saturday after making his debut as a replacement in the 2022 Six Nations opening game against Ireland in February before coming off the bench in the next three games.

Lake was handed his first start and scored his opening international try in the shock defeat against Italy before featuring three times off the bench in the 2-1 series away defeat against South Africa in the summer of 2022.

Dewi Lake and Tommy Reffell both scored tries for Wales on the 2022 summer tour of South Africa

This experience included a famous picture of Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx pointing at Lake and Wales flanker Tommy Reffell which proved the tourists would not be intimidated.

"It's important to have a bit of an edge and to not take a backwards step," said Lake.

"It's also about standing up for yourself and not letting any kind of occasion or any person get the better of you."

That tour was to prove Lake's last international after two separate injuries ruled him out of the 2022 autumn internationals and 2023 Six Nations campaigns.

"It's tough with injuries and they always seem to pile on top of each other and you wonder if you are going to break the cycle," said Lake.

"I'm grateful for the work of the people behind the scenes at the Ospreys put in with me to get me back fit.

"Here we are and I'm ready to go into the weekend."