Christ Tshiunza: 'My family still don't know the rules!' as star prepares for Rugby World Cup debut
Christ Tshiunza can’t believe where he’s sat.
At a press conference in the bowels of the Stade de Nice on the eve of his first World Cup appearance, he still has to pinch himself.
The 21-year-old towering forward was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He had no idea what rugby was until he moved to Wales in 2010.
When he arrived, he couldn’t communicate with his friends due to the language barrier. Sport was the easiest way to express himself.
His natural size and athleticism meant he was made for rugby. His skills were honed by Steve Williams at Whitchurch High School and that set him on a path to where he finds himself today.
His rise to prominence in recent seasons has been rapid. His family, though, are still unsure of some of the game’s laws.
“In 2010, I didn’t even know what rugby was,” he laughs. “Yeah, they [family] haven’t got a clue! Even my family that come to the current 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 me.”
On Saturday, he will be starting in the second row, alongside Exeter Chiefs team-mate Dafydd Jenkins, at a World Cup.
“It is still a bit weird,” he smiles, talking with an air of youthful excitement.
”We are room-mates as well, and sometimes we just lay in bed and look over at each other and say ‘What are we doing here, to be 20 years old, what have we done to deserve this?’ It is still very surreal at the moment, but after this tournament we will look back and be glad we did it together.
“I feel like I am living a dream at the moment, so after all of this we’ll look back and think ‘wow, that was really good’. I am just happy to be here and I am trying to enjoy every moment so far.”
Saturday will be a proud day. Opportunities to reflect at tournaments like World Cups are few and far between because they move so fast.
But Tshiunza insists he spares a thought for all those who have helped him get to where he is today when sings the national anthem before matches.
“For me, when singing the anthem I probably think about… I started playing rugby a bit later on, in school, and if it wasn’t for the people I met in school I probably wouldn’t be here now.
“When I sing the anthem I’ll think about the people who helped me along the way, my school friends I started playing with, my school coach Steve Williams, he took me under his wing.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those people. I’ll think about them.”
As is always the case, if injuries are kind then we are witnessing the start of what will be a long career in Test rugby.
Tshiunza is not the finished article and has much to learn. But experiences like this so early in his career stand him in the greatest stead.
He has already experienced so much in his personal life. But his professional life is about to really take off.
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