WHEN Jack Condy left Cross Keys to join the Scarlets at the tender of age of 19 in 2015, it seemed as though the world was at the No 8’s feet.
He signed a three-year contract with the West Walians who beat the Dragons to capture his signature after he had impressed with some stellar performances for the Pandy Park outfit.
But just over 12 months ago, the back row dynamo was forced to call it a day after a persistent knee injury shattered his shot at the big time.
The former Scarlets star is coaching with his boyhood club Penallta
Condy had made an instant impact with the Scarlets, playing against Glasgow in Europe and standing out in the 2015 Boxing Day derby against big rivals the Ospreys.
His season ended prematurely, a shoulder injury throwing a spanner in the works, but it was that knee problem that would bring down the curtain on a career that promised to be a glittering one.
He admits that calling it a day when it came to his playing days was tough, however inevitable.
It is heartening therefore to find out that the affable Condy is still making a living out of rugby and hopes to pursue a career as a coach.
He is very much giving everything he got out of the game back.
Condy now works as a hub officer at his old school, the Welsh-medium Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni in Fleur-de-Lys, Blackwood, a post which involves helping develop rugby skills for its pupils.
It is a high school with a proud sporting tradition, having produced Juventus-bound and Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey as well as Matthew Pewtner and Steffan Jones who both went on to play for the Dragons.
Pictured with his girlfriend Chloe Baghurst
As well as working as a hub officer, a full-time job that is partly-funded by the Welsh Rugby Union, Condy has further gone back to his roots as he is on the coaching staff at his former club.
The 24-year-old is something of a cult hero at Penallta where he was nurtured – winning the Welsh Youth Cup as captain in 2014 – after turning his back on his first love football in his mid-teens to pursue a future with the oval sphere.
Condy took us back to his final days with the Scarlets, a region he has the utmost respect and affection for.
“I was in a dark place towards the end of my playing career,” he said. “I was struggling to get out of the car with my knee injury, that’s how bad it was.
“I’m not being over dramatic, but I was in real pain. I would play in pain but I was in the shop window and I just wanted to play rugby – it was all I wanted to do. But my knee was deteriorating badly.
“I was on painkillers to get me through it all but I knew that, long-term, it wasn’t going to work that way.”
Condy played his last game before retiring for Penallta after leaving the Scarlets. Picture: Pete Toms
When he had to confront the unavoidable decision to end his career on the field, it wasn’t one he could easily face.
He said that he is grateful to Scarlets head coach and incoming Wales coach Wayne Pivac, the medical staff at the Llanelli-based region and his girlfriend, Chloe Baghurst, a 21-year-old trainee accountant, for helping him come to terms with his enforced retirement.
“After the decision was made to call it a day, I couldn’t bring myself to tell family friends for a few weeks,” Condy revealed.
“I have to say that the medical staff at the Scarlets were magnificent throughout and Wayne Pivac was brilliant with me as well.
“Before I joined the Scarlets, I was an apprentice electrician and he would give me time off so that I could study for exams.
“Chloe was brilliant to me. She was so supportive and took the brunt of my moods.”
When he did leave the Scarlets, he didn’t become a sparky after his old school offered him the hub officer role as he now looks to nurture and develop the next generation of rugby talent in Wales.
“It’s a job I love,” he said. “We teach the children tackle techniques, how to pass and catch the ball and improve their skills.
“The school has 1,700 pupils and there is a lot of talent out there.
“There are a 100 hub officers throughout Wales and many of them have played to a decent level.
Condy was spotted by the Scarlets after some fantastic performances as a teenager for Cross Keys
“It’s a great system and I spend 25 hours in school and 10 hours in the community.”
He is also head coach/defence at Penallta who are flying high in WRU League 1 East in second place just a point behind Brecon who they meet in an eagerly-anticipated National Plate semi-final tie in Ebbw Vale next Saturday on March 30.
The Pitmen have a fantastic pedigree and were crowned Worthington Welsh Districts Cup champions at the Principality Stadium in 2001 and Plate winners 2012 and 2017 at the home of Welsh rugby.
The Ystrad Mynach-based side has produced internationals in former lock Mike Voyle and current Grand Slam-winning hooker Elliot Dee.
Penallta’s youth are also having a great season and play in the semi-final of the Welsh Plate today against Haverfordwest at the home of Carmarthen Athletic.
Condy believes the club’s community spirit and attacking ethos is a winning combination.
He said: “Players really play for each other and they have a brand of rugby which is all about keeping the ball in play. We try to play an exciting style.”
Condy first cut his teeth on the coaching staff at Llanelli in the Principality Premiership while with the Scarlets and he is considering it as a logical career move.
He said: “It is something I want to do long-term. I will always keep my hand in!”
• Thank you to Martyn Rowe from Penallta RFC for his help with the records and history of the club.
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