{"id":287633,"date":"2023-09-15T02:34:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T02:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=287633"},"modified":"2023-09-15T02:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T02:34:55","slug":"wales-rookies-tshiunza-and-grady-ready-to-fulfill-world-cup-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-union\/wales-rookies-tshiunza-and-grady-ready-to-fulfill-world-cup-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales rookies Tshiunza and Grady ready to fulfill World Cup dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Wales&#8217; World Cup rookies Christ Tshiunza and Mason Grady are ready to fulfill their dreams, as the duo prepare to make their tournament bows against Portugal<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Christ Tshiunza and Mason Grady are set to make their first World Cup starts<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Welsh pair have admitted it is &#8216;surreal&#8217; being at a World Cup for the first time<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Warren Gatland has rung the changes, giving Tshiunza and Grady their chance\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Latest Rugby World Cup 2023 news, including fixtures, live scores and results<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As they appeared at a top-table press conference at Stade de Nice on Thursday morning, Wales\u2019 World Cup rookies Christ Tshiunza and Mason Grady could barely believe where they were.<\/p>\n<p>Both players are at their first senior global showpiece and have come a long way in a short space of time, but that particularly applies to Exeter forward Tshiunza.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Kinshasa \u2013 the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo \u2013 the 21-year-old only moved to Wales in 2010 where he lived in a one-bedroom apartment with his French-speaking family. Now, he is ready to make his first World Cup appearance in France.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It is very surreal. In 2010 I didn\u2019t even know what rugby was,\u2019 said Tshiunza, who went to Whitchurch High School in Cardiff when he arrived in Wales.<\/p>\n<p>Former Wales football and rugby stars Gareth Bale and Sam Warburton are both products of the same establishment, as is Welsh cycling star Geraint Thomas.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/15\/01\/75453527-12520793-Christ_Tshiunza_pictured_has_already_modelled_for_Burberry_and_i-a-52_1694737099595.jpg\" height=\"557\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Christ Tshiunza has already modelled for Burberry and is now set to make his World Cup debut this weekend<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/15\/00\/75453729-12520793-image-m-43_1694734576877.jpg\" height=\"514\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza will start against Portugal after Warren Gatland made wholesale changes to his side<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza, who has already modelled for Burberry, is the next cab off the rank.<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u2018Four years ago I was saying I would love to go to the next World Cup. I was with Mason and we were going to a Wales Under-18\u2019s tournament in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Now, we are here. I feel like I am living a dream at the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Dreams have come true for Tshiunza and Grady who showed no signs of nerves ahead of them both starting Wales\u2019 Pool C clash with Portugal on the Cote d\u2019Azur on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Their press conference was hugely entertaining.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I started playing rugby a bit later on, in school, and if it wasn\u2019t for the people I met in school, I probably wouldn\u2019t be here now,\u2019 said Tshiunza.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A year ago if we\u2019d said we were definitely going to come to the World Cup, no-one would have believed us. We are all really grateful for the opportunity we have been given. It is an opportunity to play on the biggest rugby stage. We have all got to take this opportunity with both hands.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>At Whitchurch, Tshiunza was taught rugby by Steve Williams \u2013 the same man who helped guide Bale, Warburton and Thomas to sporting stardom in their respective disciplines.<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza had never seen a rugby ball when he started playing back in 2011 \u2013 the same year his Wales team-mates for this Saturday Dan Lydiate and Leigh Halfpenny were playing at the World Cup in New Zealand. But he and Grady are talented all-round sportsmen.<\/p>\n<p>They both had a laugh at the press conference as they reminisced about a 2016 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Schools high jump competition in which they competed against each other.<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza won with a jump of 1.60metres with Grady, who was a fine basketball player, in seventh.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/15\/00\/75453727-12520793-image-m-45_1694734671482.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza will be joined in Wales&#8217; starting XV by fellow World Cup rookie Mason Grady<\/p>\n<p>Another aspiring rugby player in Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, also now with Exeter after the demise of Wasps, finished third that May day.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Let\u2019s not talk about that,\u2019 said Grady with a smile.<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza added his extended family still have no idea about the intricacies of rugby despite him reaching the game\u2019s highest level.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u2018They haven\u2019t got a clue! Even my family that come to the games now, are like: \u201cWhere\u2019s Christ? Oh, good job. You did something well today\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018They don\u2019t know the rules but I am glad they can come and support.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Grady is a 21-year-old Cardiff centre who made his senior Wales debut against England in the Six Nations having come through his country\u2019s junior pathway alongside Tshiunza.<\/p>\n<p>So too did Exeter midfielder Joe Hawkins who was deemed ineligible to play at this World Cup after signing for the Chiefs from Welsh region Ospreys.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I remember speaking with the boys and saying it would be class if we could go to the next World Cup. It was a long shot because it was only Christ who had his cap at that time,\u2019 Grady said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018From there it has spiralled out of proportion.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Grady\u2019s half-brother is Cory Allen \u2013 the former Wales centre who scored a first-half hat-trick against Uruguay in Cardiff at the 2015 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He (Allen) is averaging three tries per half in a World Cup, so I have got a lot of catching up to do there,\u2019 Grady said.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/15\/00\/75453781-12520793-image-a-46_1694734753803.jpg\" height=\"412\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Warren Gatland will hope to see Tshiunza and Grady make the most of their opportunity\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/15\/00\/75453791-12520793-image-a-47_1694734843259.jpg\" height=\"440\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Wales are looking to make it two wins from two after narrowly beating Fiji last weekend<\/p>\n<p>After a thrilling and controversial 32-26 round-one win over Fiji in Bordeaux, Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made 13 changes for Portugal.<\/p>\n<p>The baton has been passed to Wales\u2019 young guns \u2013 the likes of Tshiunza and Grady \u2013 to continue the momentum. You sense it is a chance they do not want to waste.<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza partners his Exeter colleague Dafydd Jenkins in the second row against Portugal. The pair have just 41 years between them.<\/p>\n<p>Tshiunza said: \u2018It is still a bit weird. We are room-mates as well and sometimes we just lay in bed and look over at each other and say: \u201cWhat are we doing here? What have we done to deserve this? It is still very surreal at the moment, but after this tournament we will look back and be glad we did it together.\u2019<\/p>\n<h3>Wales team to face Portugal<\/h3>\n<p><span>Starting XV:<\/span> Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, Mason Grady, Johnny Williams, Rio Dyer; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake (capt), Dillon Lewis, Christ Tshiunza, Dafydd Jenkins, Dan Lydiate, Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau<\/p>\n<p><span>Replacements: <\/span>Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Taine Basham, Gareth Davies, Sam Costelow, Josh Adams<\/p>\n<p><span>Kick-off: <\/span>4.45pm, Saturday, Nice<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12520793\/Wales-World-Cup-rookies-Christ-Tshiunza-Mason-Grady-ready-fulfill-dreams-duo-prepare-make-tournament-bows-against-Portugal.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wales&#8217; World Cup rookies Christ Tshiunza and Mason Grady are ready to fulfill their dreams, as the duo prepare to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Wales rookies Tshiunza and Grady ready to fulfill World Cup dreams - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-union\/wales-rookies-tshiunza-and-grady-ready-to-fulfill-world-cup-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wales rookies Tshiunza and Grady ready to fulfill World Cup dreams - Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wales&#8217; 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