He spent three years on the books of Cardiff City as a teenage centre-half before opting to focus on rugby – a decision which is paying off for both him and Cardiff Rugby.
The 21-year-old flanker has put in more tackles than anyone else in the URC so far this season, with his tally of 103 being 18 more than the next best of 85 from his team-mate Seb Davies and Sharks back row James Venter.
Mann started out in the game at a young age with his home-town club of Aberdare RFC.
“I played for them from when I could run really,” he said. “Rugby was my first love. Since I was little, I just fell in love with it. It just felt natural.
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