For all the doom and gloom that’s lingered around Welsh football for the past few months, there is one story that’s bringing a smile to fans’ faces. The prospect of Rubin Colwill and Joel Colwill playing alongside together.
Wales’ U21s will face Liechtenstein today at Rodney Parade, and there is a chance that we will see brothers appear on the pitch at the same time.
Rubin Colwill has long been a name familiar to the Red Wall, but his brother, Joel, has now also made the jump to Matty Jones’ squad.
Flanked by Ian Gwyn Hughes as they walked into their joint press conference, there were some nerves from the younger brother. But being alongside Rubin, there was a sense of comfort, of security for Joel.
Straight away, you could sense that this was indeed, a monumental moment for the Colwill clan.
“It’s really nice to have him here,” Rubin began. “It’s a proud moment for the whole family. We’ve both played football together from a very young age and it’s an honour to be able to represent our country together. A very special moment.”
“We’ve done a lot of stuff together over the years,” Joel added. “But this is a really proud moment for both of us and for the entire family.”
The reason of course both are in the squad is that they are playing exceptionally well for Cardiff City.
Since Erol Bulut has entered through the doors of the Cardiff City Stadium, there has been a renewed sense of optimism from fans and players.
For Rubin, Bulut has given him a lot of motivation to get better and to play regular minutes.
“He’s come in and set out straight away what he wants from us. He has a clear vision and a clear plan of what he wants to achieve and what he wants from us as players.
“He’s also bought in a new style, and he’s helped me talk through the role he wants me to play, and he’s given me the opportunities to play in the cup and to come off the bench in the Championship.
“I feel more confident this season with the work he’s done with me and the work I’ve done myself.”
For Joel, the fact that the former Fenerbahçe manager has been willing to give minutes to youngsters in cup competitions shows his commitment to bringing through talent.
“He’s shown a lot of trust in the younger players, which gives us a lot more confidence to play and to play our game. He’s definitely helped us a lot.”
Moving to Wales, there’s a lot of praise for U21 manager Matty Jones. Jones described the moment both played in a League Cup game against Colchester United as magical, and Joel revealed how much of a role he’s played in his career so far.
“I was with Matty a couple of years ago at Wales, and he’s been great with me. Even when I’m not involved with Wales, he’s always texting me, he’s had conversations on the phone with me, and he’s helped me out a lot in my career so far.”
As far as Rubin’s concerned, a few may have been surprised that he wasn’t included in Rob Page’s senior team, but you wouldn’t have been able to sense any disappointment from Rubin about being in the U21s.
“It’s never a disappointment to be picked for any age group for Wales, it’s always an honour. My goal is to be in the first team, as is every young player in the U21s, but obviously, I’ve got to keep working hard for Cardiff, get more minutes, and then hopefully I’ll get the call back to the first team.”
Of course, the sporting merit and achievements these two have accomplished is remarkable. But they are also brothers, and that sibling rivalry is always there to see.
While they may not room together, the Colwill’s are constantly playing darts, table tennis, and pool against each other (Rubin claims to be winning in all three sports).
There was also a moment when Rubin reminisced about his good performance last time out against Denmark, only for Joel to describe the performance as “alright”.
The competition between the two is clear to see, but there’s also a lot of respect between them. When Joel started playing, there was one person he looked up to the most, and that was Rubin.
“I play a similar position to him, and I’ve tried to just follow in his footsteps really. He played in midfield, so I wanted to play in midfield. He played for Cardiff, so I wanted to play for Cardiff. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do, to be able to do what he’s done.”
For the senior Colwill, having Joel in the camp only makes him better.
“It definitely helps having Joel here, because he’s always snapping at my heels and pushing to me to get better. He’s pushing me and I’m pushing him, and it’s always good to have that good competitive relationship with each other.”
In many ways, they’re just like any two brothers. Yes, they both want to do better than the other, and both back themselves in any sporting activity. But there’s so much respect between them.
They are also very proud of being from and playing for Cardiff. They want to take the Bluebirds to the highest level they can, whether that be the Premier League or even Europe.
And it’s in Europe that the women’s team find themselves. Currently out in Lithuania, they suffered defeat in their opening game against Gintra, but now face Irish side Shelbourne in the third-place game.
Rubin applauded the work the women’s team are doing, and hopes that in the future, the men could replicate what they’re doing.
“Over the last few years, they’ve really come into their own,” said Rubin.
“We’ve seen the success that they’ve had and it’s really nice to see them representing the club at such a high level. You see them at the awards nights, and they always win so many! It’s just great for them and the club.”
Europe may be a distant dream for these two, but for now, a place in Welsh football history awaits them on Friday night.
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