Dan Edwards: Wales’s Latest Flyhalf Prodigy

Rhodri Evans
It is not uncommon for Welsh flyhalves to be thrown in at the deep end.
Just look at the names to have pulled on the iconic number ten jersey in the professional era and the list tells a story of talented players learning on the job from a young age.
Take Dan Biggar. Handed a debut at 19 in 2008, Biggar struggled to make the position his own until the 2013 Six Nations.
For Wales’s latest flyhalf prodigy, Dan Edwards will be thrust into the spotlight just like the rest.
Highlights Reels and Game Management
At 21-years-old, Edwards only has a season and a half of senior professional rugby under his belt, but what the Ospreys man has shown in those 18 months caught the eye of many in Welsh rugby.
With a lighting quick turn of pace and the uncanny ability to come up clutch in pivotal moments, Edwards had a breakthrough season last year.
The highlights – a late solo try on debut against rivals Scarlets and a game-winning drop goal against Ulster – have been clipped up and watched thousands of times.
This season, Edwards has transitioned from a highlights machine to starting flyhalf, with all the extra responsibilities that the role involves.
While Edwards’ game management and instincts have improved, he has not lost any of the flair and excitement that marked him out as one to watch during his time with Wales U20s.
His recent try against Cardiff, squeezing through the tightest of gaps to dot down for the go-ahead score, was the latest example of a player ready to be tested at the highest level.

Thrown in at the deep end
For Edwards himself though, the news of his international call-up came in quite an inauspicious way.
“We were doing a walk-through, so I was on my back doing ball placement work when the email came through on my smartwatch,” Edwards explains.
“I was partnered up with Harri Houston who I came through with at Ospreys and Wales U20s, so he was the first person I told.
“Texted my mother and father and also my mates group chat. I put it on chat that I had been selected, and they were all giving me stick!”
Edwards selection would have been noteworthy, if not so surprising, had Wales head coach Warren Gatland also picked a couple more experienced options in his squad for the 2025 Six Nations.
Instead, the New Zealander’s only options for the tournament are Ben Thomas – a fine playmaker, but someone who plays all his club rugby for Cardiff at inside centre – and the uncapped Edwards.
While Thomas has international experience, playing five times for Wales in 2024 including twice at flyhalf in Australia, Edwards has started more professional games at flyhalf this season than Thomas has in his entire career.
While there would be still be pressure on the young playmaker had he been selected with the likes of Gareth Anscombe and Sam Costelow also included, Edwards is relishing the opportunity.
“I’ve spoken to a few of the Ospreys boys who have been regulars with Wales. Gar [Gareth Thomas], Jac [Morgan], and Owen [Watkin] have been great to talk to,” Edwards says.
“All of them said to me just to try my best to get the starting jersey and keep it. Remembering why we play the game: to enjoy it.
“So, my main thing with the next few weeks being in camp and hopefully in game is to enjoy and show that on the pitch.”
Calm in the eye of a storm
For Edwards, this season with Ospreys has been a relatively turbulent one. After five and a half years in charge, head coach Toby Booth left his role in November, having previously stated that he would leave at the end of the season.
With his defence coach and former Wales U20s head coach Mark Jones replacing him, Ospreys have begun a slight transition in style.
“Last year, playing behind the pack we had, worked brilliantly well for me,” Edwards explains.
“Our forwards were dominating everyone, in the URC or Europe. This year we’ve struggled a little bit, we had so many injuries at the start of the season.
“For my game, learning how to play and adapt when we are on the back foot a little bit has been massive.
“I think with Mark coming in, you’ve seen a bit of a shift in or style of play in the last three or four matches. I feel like we’ve been pretty expansive.”
With Ospreys going through a period of adversity and coming out with some good results – a derby win over Scarlets and draw at Cardiff, alongside qualification to the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup – Edwards is confident that the squad can push on in the second half of the season.
“We all say it, but we do feel like this team can be a very dangerous team and if we are looking to play a little more exciting, riskier rugby, then we can definitely compete with anyone,” Edwards adds.
“We’re still fighting on both fronts. There is big belief in the group, especially after last season. When they said we had a 2% chance of play-off qualification, we did it. We feel like we can do it again.
“Again, though, we are not satisfied with making the knockouts, we want to go a step further and go deep.”

Running threats and risk taking
With Edwards at 10 and Jack Walsh at fullback, Ospreys have two playmakers that are equalling comfortable receiving the ball at first receiver or in the wide channels.
There are not many more exciting prospects in rugby than a flyhalf running with the ball, with players like Beauden Barrett and Marcus Smith some of the most watchable players in the sport. Edwards, while still learning the game, is cut from the same cloth.
“I hope I can take my skills and use them at international level,” Edwards says.
“Watching international rugby, it’s a completely different game, so for me it will be about adapting to that. My running game is a strength of mine, in broken field I can be dangerous with my pace.
“Hopefully, I can use my strengths to help the team. You don’t know until you try, do you? I have the confidence in myself to try things and hopefully they come off.”
‘You’ve got to be mentally resilient’
However, taking risks can be a dangerous game. The story of Welsh flyhalves is also a story of massive expectation and pressure being put on one player to deliver results and even championships.
In recent times, the likes of Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland have spoken out about the affect the outside noise had on their early careers. Edwards, even at an early stage of his career, is well aware of the pressure.
“You’ve got to be mentally resilient to play at flyhalf,” Edwards says.
“If you miss a kick to touch or the posts, something you practice loads in the week, if you let that get to you, it can spiral. The mindset is always ‘right, next job’.
“In terms of outside noise, everyone has their opinion, don’t they? I’ve seen it with Sam Costelow recently, who has received a lot of stick online.
“Sam is a great player who I don’t think deserves it at all, but playing in that position seems to leave you open to getting stick.”

Excitement and Ambition
It is easy to forget, but the chance to train and play for Wales offers a young player like Edwards the chance to play and train with those who had only previously been opponents of his. He can now call Welsh rugby legends like Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams, and Aaron Wainwright his teammates as well as club rivals.
“I’m excited just to experience the personalities in there and how everyone sees the game, compare experiences, and learn,” Edwards adds.
“Going into camp with boys that I have watched growing up, I’m like, ‘I wish I could play with them’ and now I am.
“Someone like Josh Adams, who is a great winger, British and Irish Lion, who I played against during the Christmas period and was mega competitive on the field. He seems like someone you really want to have on your team.
“I’ll be like a sponge in camp for those first days, trying to learn as much as I can from the more senior boys. I like to do my talking on the pitch, try and be as vocal as I can out there, and then soak up everything on the training pitch and in meetings.”
With the Six Nations fast approaching and a potential debut against France, in Paris, on a Friday night on the horizon, Edwards is only thinking about one thing.
“I’d just love to win in the Wales jersey,” he says with a grin.
“Maybe a couple of kicks too, but as long as we win, I’ll be happy.”
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