The Big Switch

For someone that has only recently turned 22, it feels like it’s already been quite a long road for Mason Grady to reach his current status as a break out star for both Cardiff and Cymru.

From being the exceptional talent at age grade level, to suffering and recovering from a serious knee injury, and then breaking into the Blue & Blacks side before making his international debut last season, it’s been a rollercoaster few years that has now taken in a Rugby World Cup and prepares to step into a regular starting spot in Warren Gatland’s XV.

Grady is a phenomenon built partly of his own abilities and partly by the focus that the Welsh rugby goldfish bowl brings. In this country we simply do not produce many 6’5″, 110kg men that can shift as the Vale of Glamorgan native does, so when one comes along the excitement has a penchant to elevate the talent ahead of it’s time.

This results in the player being built up too quickly in some quarters, and in others there becomes a strange desire to pull them down as soon as possible. That’s a chart that Grady finds himself bang in the middle of, as those who see him as the next big thing battle with those who nit pick at a young player still learning the game.

A lot of the comments around Grady have pointed towards his defence, particularly last year when his Cymru debut in the 13 jersey was scrutinised to within an inch of it’s life. Perhaps with that in mind, but also due to a shortage of wingers early in the campaign, Matt Sherratt opted to use his man out wide for much of the first half of the 2023/24 campaign.

Personal success followed for the former Barry RFC player as he scored four tries in 10 games and impressed in attack thanks to a license to roam off his wing. His form made a Six Nations call-up inevitable and five appearances off the replacements bench culminated in an eye-catching half-hour in the defeat to Italy on Super Saturday.

On the back of this, and with George North announcing his retirement from international rugby, the calls for Grady to slot in at 13 for Cardiff intensified until the suspension of Rey Lee-Lo and the injury to Max Clark left Sherratt with no choice but to select the big man at outside centre. Fortunately, the careful man management paid off and then some.

What we’ve seen from Grady over the last five games is a mature outside centre, which remains the most difficult position to excel in from a defensive standpoint. Assisted by the Gethin Jenkins defence system that brings an organised and physical edge on his inside, there is a confidence there to scan, decision-make and follow up with positive impacts.

He is fast enough to prevent even Duhan van der Merwe breaking on his outside, and can step out to make a crucial intervention before Gavin Coombes flies through the midfield, but the middle clip is perhaps the most impressive reading and actioning in the 13 jersey.

There will always be occasions when the outside centre is overrun with opposition strike runners, but Grady is patient enough to stay in the defensive line, keep his shoulders open until the last second and react to the decision made by the Ulster playmaker to make a tackle that ultimately forces a turnover in this circumstance.

We’ve also seen a different side of Grady in attack, displaying his wider skill set but also raising questions about Cardiff’s system when in possession and our use of a game-changing talent at outside centre.

The ability of players in Wales to execute a simple draw-and-pass is all too often lacking but the 13’s quick hands put Thomas Young away to controversially not score in the corner. It’s the final clip though that displays everything good about Mason and what he can offer in a blue & black and red jersey.

We can see from the Sharks try that when he’s in full flight and confident he’s a difficult man to stop. Lionel Cronje has to make an immediate business decision to half-arse the tackle, rather than be steamrollered into the ground. So when you couple that carrying ability with an offload game you get the final clip at Munster.

Unfortunately we haven’t seen quite enough of that, not entirely down to Grady but more due to Cardiff’s slightly stunted attacking game plan over the last few weeks.

Consistently going out the back from first receiver and then either bringing the 13 short or using him as a decoy is not fully harnessing the attributes and skillset of one of your top game breakers.

Matt Sherratt has to go back to the drawing board and look for ways to bring the attacking variety we saw from Grady off the wing into the usually more structured midfield; get him running at mis-matches, mix up his short and outside arcing lines, utilise his height aerially.

It’s all part of the growth at the Arms Park though. Players, coaches and the team as a whole developing to reach their true potential, and the scary thing here is that the 22-year-old does not appear to be close to his ceiling, yet is already performing at a now consistently high level.

The hyping will continue, the nit picking will continue, but as long as he keeps his head down, Mason Grady will continue on a path to the top.