The reluctant hero

I wouldn't say I'll ever be entirely comfortable with the attention." Leigh Halfpenny is one of rugby union's highest-paid players. He is the jewel in the crown of Welsh rugby; the man of the series in the Lions' victorious 2013 tour of Australia; and the potential star attraction of the upcoming Six Nations. He is a global superstar of the game. And yet he's so... nice.

The soft-spoken 26-year-old turns up to meet Sport bang on time. He introduces himself, asks about our journey down, poses patiently for our exclusive shoot and even manages a polite response when we offer him no more than a coffee and Mars Bar by way of sustenance.

The boy from the small town of Gorseinon may not relish the attention his talents inspire, but he is a bit special on and off the pitch. To understand what makes him tick, we start where every good story does - at the beginning.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Halfpenny explains when we ask about the day he first picked up a rugby ball. "I was over at one of my best friends' houses after school, and he was getting ready for training. I hadn't ever done rugby at that time - I'd been playing football. He asked if I fancied it, so I said 'Why not?' I went down and just absolutely fell in love with the game. I was really lucky to have a fantastic coach in a guy called Rob Steele, and we never lost many games, so success was bred into me then. Certainly without that club, the coaches there and the mates I'm still close with now, I wouldn't be where I am right now."