TWO years ago, Alex Cuthbert was playing for villagers Westbury-on-Severn in the lower reaches of grass-roots rugby.

Now the 21-year-old is on the cusp of becoming a fully-fledged international star, having been drafted into the full Wales squad for the forthcoming test with Australia in Cardiff on December 3. Both countries were losing semi-finalists at the 2011 World Cup.

It's a fairytale rise up the rugby ladder that has surprised most in the game, but his old Westbury team-mates always knew how good he was.

Richard Edgington said: "He came to play for us because he wanted to play a season with his dad (Pete Cuthbert).

"He was a natural sportsman who was a very good long distance runner and footballer. He stood out a huge amount in our team and it was obvious he was far too good for us."

See this week's Forester for full story