DafyddJenkins

Rugby is in the Jenkins family DNA – Dafydd's father, Hywel, was back-row forward with Swansea and Neath, while both of his grandfathers also played.

The young lock is making his own name within the game having joined the Chiefs officially during the summer of 2021.

A product of Porthcawl Comprehensive School, Jenkins completed his A-levels at Hartpury College. The Welshman began his Chiefs career combining life with the club with being a student at the University of Exeter, where he studied Sports Science.

Standing at 6ft 6in, Jenkins certainly has all the physical attributes but it is his on-field understanding of the game which makes him stand out even further.

He made his Chiefs debut during the 2021/22 season in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Bristol Bears and within weeks was featuring for the club in both the Heineken Champions Cup and Gallagher Premiership.

In November 2022, Jenkins was capped at Test level for the first time, coming on as a replacement for Wales in their Autumn International against Georgia in Cardiff before heading to France in autumn 2023 as a part of Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad.

During the 2023/24 season, he was handed both the Wales captaincy - becoming his nation's second youngest test captain - and the Chiefs matchday captaincy alongside club captain Jack Yeandle.

In the seasons since, Jenkins has become a formidable leader for Chiefs. Consistently setting high standards for himself and his teammates, he has made more than 80 appearances and in June 2026 captained Chiefs in his first ever Gallagher PREM Final.