Ellis Mee, announced his arrival on the biggest stages of them all last Saturday as he made his international debut in great fashion against Ireland. Just 12 months ago the 21-year-old was playing for English Championship side, Nottingham Rugby where he was voted players’, fans’ and overall player for the 2023-24 season for the ‘Archers’.
Since then he joined United Rugby Championship side, Scarlets where he made his competitive debut for the region against the Ospreys. In his time at the Parc y Scarlets based side, Mee had also featured in the Super Rygbi Cymru for Llandovery RFC, where he made two appearances before returning back to the regional side.
He qualifies for Wales through his mother from Newport and against Ireland in round three of the 2025 Six Nations he certainly lit the pitch up with a brilliant debut performance.
“It was an unreal experience from the start to the finish really,” said Mee.
“I’d obviously been to the stadium as a kid to watch games, but being on the pitch was just a different feeling.
“It’s gone so quick since I started rugby. I only played level two Championship rugby a year ago, so to be able to pull on the Welsh shirt was an unbelievable feeling.
“Going from Nottingham to the Scarlets that was quicker and now from Scarlets to international was another step-up.”
The 21-year-old was scouted by Scarlets’ recruitment officer, former Wales back rower and Olympic Sevens silver medallist James Davies. Since then his professional rugby career has been on an upward trajectory, Mee added: “Coming into the camp, I’m obviously still quite young being 21 so I thought it would be a good experience for me.
“With Sanjay (Liam Williams) coming in as well I thought I’d be able to learn off him as well. I never thought I’d get a chance. But I got my chance and I’ve taken it.
“Coming in on my first day and seeing all the players that I’d watched on TV was surreal. Now I’m mates with them all.”
“Growing up, obviously there’s the main ones like Shane Williams and stuff like that, but then obviously watching Liam Williams, because I’m still quite young, watching him through his career, going to the Lions tour and everything like that, he was a big idol for me.”
Mee was born in Nottingham, but spent time as a child in Adelaide, Australia. “Growing up, I played a little bit of cricket as well,” added Mee.
“Obviously, in Australia it is massive, cricket’s massive over there. I had a little go at cricket, but never found my groove in it, so I gave it up quite quickly.
“Everyone played Aussie Rules for fun in school but I never played it properly. There isn’t too much rugby in Adelaide, it’s more rugby league and Aussie Rules.
“It was at Keyworth in the junior ages. Before that I was in Australia playing for a junior club in Adelaide. So when I came back I was at Keyworth and then went to West Bridgeford as well. From there I went to college, through the university, and then ended up at Nottingham.
Whilst balancing his studies at Nottingham Trent where he was studying Sports and Fitness management, during his time there he was playing in the BUCS Rugby League for Nottingham and from there went onto to play for Nottingham Rugby. On coming through a Championship club system like Nottingham, Mee stated: “The biggest difference is in the coaching. In club rugby you don’t have many coaches.
“In Nottingham there was a backs, forwards and head coach. Just having individual coaches showing you how they want you to play has helped a lot. The main coach who brought me on was Dave Ross. He was my coach at Nottingham Trent Uni. I was at Brooksby SMB College, which is linked with Leicester, but I was never in an academy,” concluded Mee.
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