I WAS easily influenced when I was a 19-year-old student. A planned evening reading Richard Peet's 'Modern Geographical Thought' could easily be turned into a trip to the pub for a couple of pints, from there a night at 'The Raz' would frequently been too tempting.

You could argue I still struggle to say no to an invite given that I sat in the stands with a few 'Slade out' Bluebirds watching an uninspired Cardiff City get dumped out of the FA Cup by Shrewsbury on a spare Sunday evening.

But young rugby players need to know their minds, as will be shown by the mooted tug of war over a teenage flanker who has played seven times for the Ospreys.

Sam Underhill is English and captained their national Under-18s side last year before making the move from Gloucester to the Liberty Stadium.

He is on a long-term deal with the Ospreys while studying at Cardiff University where he undoubtedly has a slightly different diet and night-time itinerary to the one that I had in Liverpool.

But already he is being talked about in international terms with Eddie Jones being encouraged by some to ensure an out-and-out seven is not lost to Wales, for who he could play for on residency terms in a couple of years.

David Flatman – one of the best pundits on the television – mentioned the young Ospreys as a potential international 'bolter' for England's Six Nations squad on the Aviva Premiership highlights show on ITV.

Ignoring the fact that he can't be picked as he plays overseas and that the former Bath prop admitted he was "trying to be controversial to make people watch", it shows that the openside is turning heads.

Shane Williams added to the hyperbole by saying he reminded him of David Pocock, one of the finest back row forwards of a generation.

Thankfully this situation is helped by Underhill not being available for Wales Under-20s, avoiding a repeat of the Steve Shingler affair when he was denied the chance to play Test rugby for Scotland because of a decision he made when he was still at risk of being asked for ID when buying a lottery ticket.

The fly-half/centre had played for Wales Under-20s against their French counterparts and both nations designate those teams as their second representative side unlike England, who have the Saxons, or Ireland, who have the Wolfhounds. Shingler is Welsh for the rest of his career.

Players being tied to a country by a decision made as a teenager, when they are still used to others making their choices and shaping what they opt for, is harsh.

And sadly there will be a rush to brand a young prospect with three feathers, a rose, thistle or shamrock, which risks players who are not ready for the step up to Test rugby being flung in ahead of their time.

Underhill needs to learn his trade – he is playing in one of the most influential yet complex positions on the field.

Unlike George North, Tom Prydie or even Dafydd Howells, he cannot be flung into the Test scene with the hope that he learns on the hoof.

At Rodney Parade this season we have seen the progression of Ollie Griffiths, a back row forward who also has all the tools to make it to the top.

The 20-year-old from Newbridge stood out clearly for the Wales Under-20s last season and his performances – notably the jaw-dropping display against Ireland in the Six Nations – led to many pondering why he hadn't yet made the step up to the Newport Gwent Dragons side.

Griffiths had to be patient and since making his first regional start in November he has become a regular, sharing the 7 jersey with Nic Cudd. The sharing part is key – the protégé is still raw and, understandably, makes mistakes.

The Guinness Pro12 and Challenge Cup is faster and more intense than the Principality Premiership and opensides have to make crucial breakdown decisions under fatigue; whether to go into a ruck or whether to stand off it.

Get those decisions wrong – as Griffiths did in the build-up to a searing Sam Davies break on New Year's Day that should have resulted in an Ospreys try to make it 17-0 – and the consequences are severe.

Another huge jump takes place when going from regional rugby to Test level so a little caution would be wise, even if we are at the start of another World Cup cycle.

PLENTY of clubs are feeling the strain financially thanks to woeful weather that has led to postponements and empty clubhouses.

Soon the fear will be waking up on Saturday morning to find a frozen pitch rather than a waterlogged one but many officials in the Principality Premiership are worried by the economic impact of something looming further down the line which, unlike poor weather, is man-made.

The revamped top flight will feature 16 teams in 2016/17 with SSE Swalec Championship hopefuls Merthyr, Swansea, Pontypool, RGC 1404 and Bargoed vying to join the current crop.

Instead of 30 league fixtures – home and away against everyone – there will still be 22 games each along with the continuation of the Foster's Challenge Cup.

That is thanks to a Warren Gatland brainwave that will see a split with the top eight playing each other and the bottom eight, who won't be battling relegation because of three years of ring-fencing, doing likewise.

The clubs will play 15 games before that decision and a nightmare situation could loom.

Let's use Pooler as an example (fingers crossed they will go up).

Their pre-split schedule could see them travel to Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale and Newport while enjoying home fixtures with the likes of Carmarthen Quins and Llandovery.

They then finish in the bottom half while Ponty, the Steelmen and the Black and Ambers – three traditional big and lucrative gates – are gunning for the title, meaning no trip to Pontypool Park.

There will no doubt be some evening out the following season but it's already hard enough for these clubs to run as a business without a fluid fixture list denying them vital pay days. The decision was signed off but many clubs are scratching their heads.