Keelan Giles is causing more fires of excitement that his Ospreys coach Steve Tandy is trying to dampen.
Almost every time the 18-year-old scores at the moment he leaves smoking scorch marks on the field that Tandy attempts to hide.
A hat-trick of tries for his region in France against Lyon in Europe were followed by two more against the Dragons on Saturday to give Giles eight in just four games for the Ospreys.
Giles has already been training with the Wales squad – though not a member of it – and his speed and finishing prowess have made him the coming man in the Welsh game.
But Tandy is again urging caution when it comes to the notion that the Wales U20 star should now be fast-tracked into Rob Howley’s senior squad.
“There are a few other boys who have been around the Wales team for a hell of a long time,” said Tandy.
“I know the Welsh management will manage Keelan properly and will see where he is at.
“It’s great that he’s getting regional rugby, but it’s not about playing him every week. It’s about managing him. He’s still a young boy and we have to make sure his interests are at the centre of everything we do.”
The wing’s performance was too hot for the Dragons to handle, but at least it deflected attention from the region’s 10th successive defeat to the Ospreys.
Giles’s first try saw him reveal a poacher’s instinct for being in the right place at the right time, while his second involved a fly-hack upfield, a rapid turn of pace and then skill to claim the loose ball and slide across for the finish.
But Tandy was adamant it was a team performance that sent the Dragons spinning to a 35-17 Pro12 setback.
“Keelan has an outstanding scoring record since coming on the scene and it’s unbelievable to have a finisher like him in the team,” said the former flanker.
“But it’s not just the try scoring. His defensive abilities and his work-rate in the back three are really pleasing, too, but it’s off the back of top team performances.
“Within our group there are enough senior guys, so if he does start to wander he’ll be pulled back to earth pretty quickly.
“But he’s a pretty level headed kid, anyway. You boys in the media can help by not going on about him all the time.
“We look at the detail of what he’s doing and make sure we emphasise all his other good work – his tackling, his defensive reads, his ball-presentation work.
“The whole package is coming on with him.
“It’s great that there are the tries, but the work that goes on behind that – the chasing kicks, the tracking back to save tries – that makes up the whole package.”
