Wales wildcard stunned by Lanzarote phone call ordered by Pivac

It's safe to say Harri O'Connor's call-up to the Wales squad ahead of their trip to South Africa raised a few eyebrows.

While tipped for great things, the 21-year-old tighthead prop had played just 207 minutes of senior rugby and started one competitive match ahead of the all-important phone call which interrupted his summer holiday.

Even he was surprised.

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"I was on holiday in Lanzarote relaxing in the swimming pool when I got the call," he recalls, in an interview with RugbyPass. "It was a big shock when I got told the news by Jon Daniels [Scarlets general manager of rugby].

"I didn’t really know what to say but I suppose it was a mixture of excitement and nerves, and it was obviously a proud moment for myself and my family.

"I’d never thought about being in the squad, it hadn’t even crossed my mind. But once the shock wore off I took it in my stride because at the end of the day you’ve got a job to do. I then spoke to a member of the Wales management team, and they got me on a flight back to Wales on the Sunday so I could join up with the squad before flying out with the boys to South Africa for the tour."

Alongside Saracens' Sam Wainwright, O'Connor became one of two uncapped tightheads on the Wales tour, which ended in a 2-1 series defeat, as part of a four-person contingent of tighthead options who were about to face arguably the Springboks' two best front-rows in the world.

While he did not amass game time during the trip to the Rainbow Nation, O'Connor is thankful for the "surreal" experience. “A few days before I never thought I’d be anywhere near this level yet," he said. “Obviously, I would have loved to