Cracknell fulfils Wales dream after tough times

Olly Cracknell won his first Wales cap against Argentina in the 2025 autumn opener

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v Japan

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 15 November Kick-off: 17:40 GMT

Coverage: Commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and live text on BBC Sport online.

For a brief moment in 2021, Olly Cracknell stopped dreaming of playing for Wales.

Down the pecking order at Ospreys and working hard in the gym without much match action, the back-row forward was more concerned with what his next club would be than forcing his way onto the Test stage.

Four years on - thanks to resilience he attributes to his parents Felicity and Tom - the 31-year-old is Wales' 1,216th male international.

Cracknell, born in Leeds but always proud of his Welsh roots courtesy of a grandfather, came off the bench against Argentina on Sunday and is a contender to face Japan on Saturday.

"Being a bit older made it a bit sweeter for me and I felt that I could really enjoy it and soak it in," said the Leicester forward.

"It's taken a while and I have had quite a few tough times, but I am sure every player will have tough moments in their career."

Cracknell played six times for Wales Under-20s and was called into the senior squad by Rob Howley for the 2017 Six Nations while Warren Gatland was on British and Irish Lions duty.

He remained uncapped as Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau, Ross Moriarty and James King featured in the championship.

Cracknell returned to Ospreys, but then his career stalled in 2021.

"I've always wanted to be here and there was a time when I fell out of favour at the Ospreys that I stopped looking at it and dreaming about it," he said at Wales' training base.

"I stopped watching the games and when I started building myself back up I'd watch the Welsh motivational videos that I used to watch again.

"I knew that it would take a lot of work to get here. Selection is one man's opinion, so I might not have got here, but at least having that aim driving me has been really useful and important."

Motivational montages and family resilience

Cracknell racked up the views of a BBC montage featuring Morgan Freeman ahead of the 2010 Six Nations and Michael Sheen's rallying cry on 'A League of their Own' before the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.

The Test dream had returned and the forward – whose long path to a cap took in Border Bulldogs in South Africa, Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC) in Colwyn Bay, Ospreys, London Irish and then, after the Exiles' financial collapse, Leicester – eventually reaped the rewards of his persistence.

"Resilience is something that I have luckily learned from my parents. I was lucky with the way that I was brought up and that's a part of me," said Cracknell.

"I've had to just keep plugging away and getting to where I am now, after a lot of the tough times that I have had, is great."

Cracknell's father, who died in on the eve of the 2024-25 season, was a judge and so is his mother.

"My mum has a very persistent personality with the way that she approaches her work. She is very professional and very hard working, I have taken that," he said.

"My dad was very resilient in a different kind of way. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was young, 12 or 13.

"He managed to live for another 17 years and was very stoic with the way that he went about that. He'd put it to one side and take things as they came."

'I'm steady, not special'

Olly Cracknell made his Wales debut against Argentina

Cracknell's Test debut has delighted his clubmates with Wales loose-head and fellow Tiger Nicky Smith presenting him with his cap.

Argentina captain Julian Montoya gave his former Tigers team-mate a long post-match hug on the pitch.

Cracknell is hugely valued by his peers and yet, perhaps due to his Yorkshire upbringing, he is keen to downplay his strengths and paint himself as a grafter.

"I am not necessarily going to come up with special moments all the time, but I will hopefully be someone that keeps turning up," said the number eight, who started in 23 games for his club last season.

"There are a lot of players in the (Wales) team that can do special things and maybe I can offer something steady.

"It's taken me quite a while to realise that's okay and that's enough, I can be a player who does some of the not so pretty stuff. I am hopeful that's enough.

"Bringing physicality is a big thing for me and bringing the fundamentals that I have tried to build over the last two or three seasons. Being flash has never really been my game, it's more fire."

Team-mates might disagree with Cracknell's humble assessment of his own game.

He has been a firm fixture in the Leicester XV after the departure of South Africa number eight Jasper Wiese in 2024, crediting former Australia boss Michael Cheika for putting faith in him last season for the Prem runners-up.

Cracknell has worked hard on his game and on his mental approach with the help of former Leeds, Northampton and Saracens forward Calum Clark.

With two years until the next World Cup, he is hungry to keep hitting new heights in what has already been a terrific rugby story.

"I just want to keep getting better as a player and push to the next level," said Cracknell, who was called up by Wales after Taulupe Faletau's knee injury.

"I feel that in the last year and a half I have taken some really good steps, developed and found different levels to my performance.

"I want to push to the next level again and whatever opportunities I get with Wales will be great to put me in a position to do that."