Ollie Tucker – an excellent prop but an even better rugby captain!

 
When Pembrokeshire Schools talented under 16 rugby team played in this year’s national Dewar Shield competition, they were undefeated in the five inter-regional matches and came within a whisker of a semi-final spot - with prop Ollie Tucker as their inspirational captain.
 
Ollie plays for Greenhill School and Tenby United, as well as the Scarlets (West) and Scarlets combined (starting last season where he was considered good enough to be involved a year early) - and it is also fair to see he is a good all-round sportsman because he also plays football and cricket; but more about his involvement in both sports later.
 

Family matters . . .

 
Perhaps his sporting prowess comes from the fact that he hails very much from a sporting family because his father Lee was also a tough as teak prop with Tenby United and Whitland, as well as being a more than useful cricketer at Kilgetty and Cresselly, whilst mum Kristin, who played central midfield in football at Saundersfoot, Tenby and Hampshire County - and gained four Welsh Schoolgirl caps at under 16 against Scotland (twice), Ireland and New Mexico.
 
He also has sports-playing siblings because his brother Jack (25) used to play at centre and is now a back row for Narberth Athletic, whilst sister Isobel (13) has played rugby and football and is heavily involved in dance. He also follows in his cousins’ sporting footsteps: Daniel, Alex and Ella Wainwright have also played rugby/sport at a high level.




 

Early start in rugby

 
Rugby has always been his first sporting love, however, as he started as young as six at Tenby United Swifts and played all the way through to the current under 16s alongside the likes of current county team mates Madoc Evans and Ethan Lewis. He has captained his age group where the squad won the Pembrokshires junior cup finals day 2023/2024 season, going on to play in the Scarlets Cup Final at Parc Y Scarlets but unfortunately losing out to a very well drilled Amman Utd Team.
 
At county level early on his coach was Kenny Davies and the team also included the likes of Josh James, Daf Williams, Niall Smith, Harvey Thomas and Sean Bolger.
 
Then Aled Waters, Tom Meredith, Mikey Jones, Dan Field and Rhys Fawcett took over and Ollie found himself promoted a year up so he has had two years’ experience at under 15 and under 16 level - and was part of the Pembrokeshire team that reached the final of the televised Dewar Shield Bowl Final last season.




 

A pleasure to play at The Principality Stadium

 
It was an experience to play at the Principality Stadium against Islwyn and the team was inevitably disappointed that they had lost but there was a measure of consolation because the commentators involved chose Ollie as the county’s man of the match; not bad going for someone a year younger that most of the other players on both sides!
 
“I was also chosen a year early for the Scarlets combined regional side and learned from experienced coaches and also a lot by playing with, and against, some very good players from teams such as the Ospreys.





 

Dewar Shield a real experience this season

 
This season saw Ollie not only playing every game for the county under 16s but has also led the team from his front-row berth in regional victories against Carmarthenshire, Mynydd Mawr, RGC (North Wales), Ceredigion and Llanelli to win entry into the last eight.
 
“It was a big honour,” Ollie told us, “and I received the Owain Glyndwr Sword from Mrs Delyth Summons (District H rep on the WRU), which we keep until next season.
 
That meant we were drawn in the last eight against a very big and physical Swansea (West) squad and we just missed out on a last-four place - so we had to play Newport (away) recently away and beat them 27-5 so that our last game will be against Rhymney Valley under the floodlights at Haverfordwest on Friday, 13th December to try and finish in fifth place overall in the Dewar Shield.





 

Other Sports played

 
On the football front, Ollie started out playing in goal for Lawrenny but when he switched to Tenby he moved to centre half - where he also played for Greenhill School Year Eight when they played Plasmarl School in the Welsh Final at Cardiff and won on penalties. (But Ollie admits he didn’t take one of the spot kicks!)
 
In Year Nine he played for Wales against Northern Ireland, Scotland and England alongside school friend Carter Heywood - and enjoyed every moment of the matches.
 
In cricket, Ollie set out with Cresselly but then switched his allegiance to Kilgetty and played in two age group finals, beating his old teammates at under 15 and then losing to them a year later.
“I was chosen as ‘Player of the Match’ for the first game as I took five wickets and scored 14 runs – and I also played for Kilgetty Firsts in the Allen Brown Cup Final at Whitland as we beat Hundleton, with Nick Cope playing a massive role in our big win.
 
“So far my top score is 30 but I just enjoy playing in the summer after so much hard work in rugby beforehand.”





 

So, what of the future for this talented young rugby player?

 
“At the moment I am waiting for news of whether I have again been chosen for the Scarlets (West) squad for this second half of the season and eventually I hope to go to college somewhere like Llandovery or Coleg Sir Gar, because they provide a great way of furthering my education involving sport in some way.”
 
That comment is a clear indicator of Ollie’s maturity that goes way beyond his years and it is a pointer to why Pembrokeshire Schools Under 16’s head coach Aled Waters selected him as captain of this year’s very successful team.
 
“There is no doubt in my mind that Ollie has already got a very good rugby brain and he is certainly a player to watch out for in future years,” Aled told us.,
 
“He is a natural leader who the other players look up to and who has been a pleasure to coach because he is ever-ready to learn the skills and techniques of his own position and soaks up our coaching advice like a sponge.”

We at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk could pay Ollie Tucker no higher compliment but to add our best wishes and congratulations on a captain’s job well done this excellent season.
 
Ollie would like to thank his family, friends, all of his teammates, all of the coaches from when he first started playing rugby through to under 16’s with Tenby United, Greenhill School PE teachers, and Pembrokeshire Schools’ County Coaches who have supported him along the way. He’s made good mates for life.