He may have been on the losing side on Friday evening, but Rory Clegg will have taken so much from Newcastle’s defeat at home to Wasps.
Only 18 years old and tasked with filling in for Jonny Wilkinson at fly-half, the youngster displayed the kind of calmness and game knowledge that really does belie his tender years.
Wilkinson was the same age when he broke into Newcastle’s first XV – albeit at centre at the time – and it is fitting that it is in his absence that young Clegg is excelling in the role his senior colleague has become a world class performer in.
The Falcons were overcome at Kingston Park by a Wasps side who were just as desperate for a win as they were, but Clegg’s showing at 10 was a real beacon of light on an evening when the conditions were damp, dark and extremely cold.
He started off by instigating the move that led to his side’s try within the first four minutes of the start of the game, and after a slight wobble with a chip-and-chase down the middle of the pitch that displayed his youth and inexperience more than a lack of tactical nous, he gave a glimpse of the kind of collected vision that could prove to be the making of him.
Receiving the ball under pressure deep in his own 22 and being charged down, Clegg opted to hang a kick out to the right wing and into space instead of just punting to touch. His cool and composed execution led to a length-of-the-pitch try from a situation in which many far more experienced fly-halves kick for touch due to force of habit and often lack of imagination.
That kind of intuition, thoughtfulness and sheer bravery under the circumstances is the type of act that separates average players from very good ones, and if Clegg can continue to execute such deft displays of skill and maturity he could go on to emulate the man he has been asked to step in for, provided he avoids the injuries that have blighted his mentor Wilkinson.
His accuracy with the boot is also a real asset, and while it may be unfair to place such expectation upon his shoulders at this early stage of his career there is a real optimism that Clegg could grow into a world class fly-half.
I for one will be tracking his continued development with an avid eye.