Back in 2008, a Wales Under-20s side went deep into the Junior World Championship and hinted at what was coming. Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb, Jonathan Davies and Halfpenny were in that side.
Grand Slams, titles and World Cup semi-finals. For a time, the best team in the world.
One by one, they’ve gone. Halfpenny is the last.
The numbers are strong. Some 101 caps, 801 points – third behind Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones – but they don’t quite explain him.
He was unassuming, almost bashful, and the last person looking for credit.
Yet the one everyone trusted.
Nobody has a bad word to say about him. In this game, that’s rare.
His former Wales coach Warren Gatland called him the best defensive full-back the game has seen. At his peak, especially with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, he was probably the best full-back. Full stop.
