The Syrian refugee who became the star rugby player in a small Welsh mining town

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Rupert Evelyn

A 14-year-old Syrian refugee who had never heard of rugby is now the star player on his team in a small Welsh mining town.

Ayman Faki and his family escaped war-torn Syria seven years ago.

14-year-old Ayman Faki is a rising rugby star for his school and club.

A family of five, they lived in a tent in refugee camp in Turkey before finding a home in Ystradgynlais in South Wales through the Syrian Refugee Resettlement program.

Before his first sports lesson at his new school, the teenager had never heard of rugby before - now Ayman plays winger for both his club and school teams.

  • When presented with a rugby ball for the first time Ayman asked his teacher, "what's that?"

A pupil at Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ayman started out with his school team before joining Ystradgynlais RFC last summer.

Since then his rugby playing skills have gone from strength to strength.

The 14-year-old said: "Literally when I came here, Mr Thomas gave me a rugby ball and I was like 'what's that?'"

Before arriving in Wales, Ayman and his brother had only ever played football.

His teacher, Huw Thomas, said both the boys were "mad football fans" but soon embraced the country's national sport.

Rugby coach and pupil support officer Mr Thomas says young Ayman has "the heart of a lion" and got "stuck in" to the sport straight away.

"It's a game for all shapes and sizes, but it's a game for all backgrounds as well," Mr Thomas said.

"There's a brotherhood and there's a belonging which I think is important for anybody."

Ayman's teammates described him as a player 'you can rely on'.

The Syrian teenager has been welcomed by his teammates at school who say the 14-year-old is a player "you can rely on".

His fellow players on the under-15s team praised Ayman as being "actually pretty decent on the wing".

The young player's parents are perhaps less keen on the physical nature of the sport, Ayman says for the time being "they think it's too dangerous".