Perhaps unsurprisingly for a centre standing at 6ft 4ins, Bryn Bradley has always looked up to Jamie Roberts as one of his rugby heroes.
Should things go to plan later this month, the 23-year-old could soon be following in the footsteps of his idol - offering Wales something different when it comes to their midfield plans.
"On TV when I was young, seeing him hit those lines has stuck in my memory," Bradley tells WalesOnline about his hero. "I've been lucky to catch up with him a few times and go through some stuff, which has been unbelievable for me."
The early days of Steve Tandy's reign have been defined by a second five-eighth in the 12 jersey, but Bradley - with his strong carrying lines and tough-as-teak defensive work - could represent a change in approach.
One of seven centres named in Tandy's mammoth 48-man squad for the summer, the aim for Bradley following his first senior call-up will be to get his feet under the table and try to earn a first cap.
"Obviously you have the odd thought here and there," he says about that dream of pulling on the red jersey. "I do try to stay quite grounded in that sense and focused on getting in, putting my best foot forward in training.
"If that happens, it'll be an overwhelmingly proud moment. But I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and getting to know the system."
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Earlier in the season, England were said to be looking at the centre, who was born in south London and has a brother, Gwilym, who used to play for Cardiff. However, there was never any doubt in Bradley's mind about his allegiances.
"It's always been Wales," he said. "That's how I was brought up. I've always supported Wales for as long as I can remember."
"It's the reason I set out to play rugby in the first place. It's been the goal ever since I started rugby seriously around 10 or 11.
"The goal is to play for Wales. Playing at the Principality is the dream. That pride for my family, particularly my mother's side of the family, it's something I've always dreamt about. The fact it's about to come true is a proud moment."
Bradley describes the actual call-up as "pretty nuts" - with the Harlequins centre admitting he wasn't "specifically sure" when Tandy was even naming his squad.
"So on that Monday, I wasn't really thinking about that," he explains. "I was just going about my business.
"I got a call from Steve and still didn't know what that might be about. I thought it might be about some defence clips. Then he mentioned the squad. I was pretty shocked and overwhelmed by it.
"I think I was just in the flat. I'd just got back from training. I wasn't expecting it.
"It's great. My mum's side is the Welsh side, through and through. That was my first reaction, to tell her.
"My parents were in the car together driving somewhere, so I told them at the same time. That was nice, hearing my mum's reaction. It was just overwhelming pride."
Tandy has been in contact with the midfielder throughout his breakthrough campaign at the Stoop, offering pointers on his defensive work. The Wales coach highlighted his skills on that side of the ball last month.
"I like both sides of the ball," explains Bradley. "But I do pride myself on defence.
"It gets you into the game each time. If you focus on defence and get that right, the rest of the game takes care of itself.
"I pride myself on being a rock in that backline, staying consistent in my chat and my movements to the boys around me. I try and get that moving smoothly."
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Given his penchant for hard lines and strong defence, it's unsurprising that - like another of Quins' Welsh contingent, Jarrod Evans - Bradley has a love of rugby league.
The centre played to a good level in the 13-a-side code, representing Wales at age-grade and even being named in a 68-player National Performance Squad in England back in 2019.
"I'm a pretty big NRL fan, so are my dad and brother," he says. "Not any team in particular, but we watch a lot of league.
"I used to play league when I was younger. My dad is from Yorkshire so there's a northern influence there.
"You can take a lot of stuff out of league. We have Sean Long as a coach at Quins, who is a league legend. So it's a topic of conversation.
"There's different skills in terms of contact and how they carry, but you can pick up things to take into union that isn't used commonly."
It's those traits that have seen him establish himself in Harlequins' starting side this season, providing the club a ready-made replacement for Springbok World Cup-winner Andre Esterhuizen.
For what it's worth, after five years around the club, Bradley hasn't found the jump up to starter too difficult.
"The coaches gave me the confidence and I knew the system inside and out, so I didn't really have to think too much when I got the chance," he says. "The main thing is the occasion. But the coaches made it easy for me to come in and do what I was good at to help the team."
Don't be surprised if he takes the step-up to Test rugby in his stride as well, especially given the presence of some former U20s team-mates in the squad.
Just a few years ago, Bradley was lining up in between Dan Edwards and Louie Hennessey at age-grade level. "I probably knew at the time that those two would go on to greater things.
"It was quite nice playing in between them. I just had to do my job and they'd do the rest.
"It's always good seeing those boys from U20s progress because it gives you confidence you can make the step-up too. I can't wait to get in and get around those boys."