‘Oscar does his Bolt act in front of all the boys’
Harry Wells, the heartbeat of Leicester’s Premiership final challenge, reveals how the Tigers help his autistic son
Dealing with crowds at a sporting match can be one of the hardest challenges an autistic person can ever face. The overwhelming cacophony of noise, smells and colours can prove a sensory overload.
Yet amongst a full house at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road, sixyear-old Oscar Wells is in his element watching his father, Harry, acting as the heartbeat of Steve Borthwick’s Leicester Tigers team.
“Oscar really enjoys the energy of the crowds,” second row Wells tells Telegraph Sport. “He might occasionally take himself off with his ipad, but otherwise he’ll watch most of the game and shout with everyone else. He just really enjoys the experience.”
At full time, Oscar will come on to the pitch to celebrate with the players and coaches, for whom he is a minor celebrity. Oscar has developed a particularly close bond with the head of physical performance, Aled Walters. “He loves Aled,” Wells says. “Aled has got a great energy and Oscar’s drawn to him.”
No Leicester victory is complete without Oscar’s Usain Bolt lightning pose. “What he really enjoys is running around on the pitch after the game and coming into the changing room,” Wells says. “He absolutely loves the lads and they’re absolutely fantastic with him as well. That’s what he really appreciates and what I appreciate as well. He’s got a picture on his bedroom wall of him in the changing room doing his Bolt pose in front of all the boys.”
So, the question becomes if the most successful and hard-bitten of English rugby clubs can embrace a six-year-old who is neurodivergent, why does wider society struggle to accept so many of the estimated 2.8million autistic people in the United Kingdom?
Three years ago, Wells spoke to the Telegraph about the petty and unnecessary comments he had grown accustomed to receiving as a parent of an autistic child.
These have become rarer, but Wells is still determined to use his platform to spread awareness and offer support through organisations such as the National Autistic Society and charities that provide direct support to parents.
“I get a lot of people who reach out and they just want to have a chat,” Wells says. “It is an opportunity to speak to someone who has been in their shoes, and hopefully I can put their minds at ease.
“Sometimes people just message and say thank you. If I can help anyone or if I can raise awareness for anyone, then I think that that’s a massive tick in my eyes.”
The scariest part for a lot of parents, Wells says, comes before the diagnosis, which can be a long, gruelling process. Fortunately, Oscar was diagnosed relatively quickly and is thriving in a special needs school in a unit attached to a mainstream school.
“It’s really special for him that he wears his Tigers shirt to school quite often,” Wells says. “It is not part of the uniform, but the staff are fantastic because they know it is important to him.”
Wells’ role as an unsung hero extends to his performances for the table-topping Tigers. No player has featured more since Borthwick was appointed head coach. Borthwick quickly recognised how crucial his
selflessness and work ethic would be in the Leicester rebuild, which culminates at Twickenham tomorrow with their date against Saracens in the Premiership final.
“I love Harry Wells,” Borthwick said earlier this season. “The thing that I love the most about Harry would be how much he cares about Leicester Tigers. It struck me almost immediately that this guy absolutely loves this club and if you have got people like that, it is a good foundation to work on.”
While Wells got a fair amount of grief for the “love” comment, it is clear the feeling is very much mutual. “I think I have benefited hugely from Steve coming into the club,” Wells says. “His understanding of the game and his attention to detail, especially around the bits that I want to be good at, is second
to none. The feedback he gives is absolutely fantastic and he knows how to get the best out of me.
“His ability to manage people as individuals is really good. He has taken the time to get to know us all as individuals. When you’re in a position of responsibility, knowing how to get the best out of people definitely pays dividends.”
Growing up in Peterborough, Wells became a Tigers fan at a young age, although his three trips to Twickenham as a supporter all ended in defeat. Everyone from cashiers to delivery drivers have been reminding him this week of the nine-year wait for a title.
“There’s a buzz in the air, and we hope we can give our supporters something to celebrate,” Wells says.
Yet as much as Wells is desperate to deliver the success the city craves, there is no doubt about his main motivation.
“The biggest driving force for me is my wife and my kids,” he says.