Wales forward Christ Tshiunza ready for 'surreal' World Cup debut against Portugal

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tshiunza moved to Wales in 2010. He will partner Exeter Chiefs teammate Dafydd Jenkins in the second row as coach Warren Gatland’s side seek back-to-back victories in Pool C.

Tshiunza and Jenkins (20) are two of the young guns in the squad and represent the best of Wales' emerging talent, though the former is viewed by Gatland as a future loose-forward.

"It is still a bit weird," Tshiunza told reporters on Thursday. "We are roommates as well, and sometimes we just lay on the bed and look over at each other and say, ‘What are we doing here? What have we done to deserve this?

"It is very surreal, considering in 2010 I didn’t even know what rugby was, but after this tournament we will look back and be glad we did it together."

Tshiunza enjoys great family support in DR Congo when he plays for Wales, even if the game is foreign to many of them.

"They haven’t got a clue!" he says. "Even my family that come to the games now, they haven’t got a clue. They are like, ‘where’s Christ, where’s Christ? Oh, good job, you did something well today’.

"They don’t know the rules, but I am glad they can come and support."

Tshiunza made his international debut in 2021 but was a promising athlete at school and admits the training he did then has prepared him for his rugby career and should be a lesson to others.

"At the time when you are younger you don't realise how little things shape you as a player later on. Stuff like high jumps - I didn't know that was going to help me with my lineout because I wasn’t playing rugby properly at the time," he said.

"It is what I say to boys my age that haven’t really kicked on. Everything they are doing now and everything they did a few years ago is going to help them down the line, they just don’t know it yet."