World Cup hopeful Lloyd Burns admits that his rapid ascension into the Wales squad still has not fully sunk in.
Wales hooker says rise into senior squad has not sunk in
World Cup hopeful Lloyd Burns admits that his rapid ascension into the Wales squad still has not fully sunk in.
The Newport Gwent Dragons hooker was still working as a bricklayer and playing part-time club rugby a year ago, but he is now in contention for a place on the plane to New Zealand.
The 26-year-old will make his first Test start, and win his third cap in total, when Wales face England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
And Burns says he is still getting to grips his new-found status as an international rugby player.
"It still hasn't sunk in," said Burns, who came off the bench in the second half of Wales' 23-19 defeat at Twickenham last Saturday.
"You have got to keep working towards your dream. Don't give up - keep going for it.
"It would mean everything if I could get into the World Cup squad, although if anyone had said that a year ago I would have laughed it off, to be honest."
Burns played for home town club Pontypool before moving to their Gwent neighbours Cross Keys, from where his big break arrived last year.
Work
He added: "I was sub-contracting as a bricklayer and working all over the shop, really. I remember we were working in Bristol just before I finished.
"I was playing for Cross Keys and the Dragons had a few injury problems in the front row, so I started going back and fore training with them.
"Then they offered me a two-year contract at the beginning of last season. I thought it was what I wanted to do, so I grabbed it with both hands.
"When the weather is good, I miss the bricklaying, but it's a much better lifestyle now, to be honest.
"I guess I appreciate it a lot. It keeps you grounded knowing what is out there after rugby. It's pretty tough. I have had a lot of help with my rugby over the years, but it has been self-driven as well."
Burns admits that he felt the nerves before the clash at Twickenham but tried to block out the pressure that such a massive crowd brings.
"What I've found in this rugby environment is that you cannot afford to switch off. You are always learning and picking up new things," he said.
"It was superb running out at Twickenham last weekend and playing in front of a bumper crowd.
"The nerves kicked in while I was warming up, but then you have got to have a quiet word with yourself and try to block out the crowd, although it's hard when there are 80-odd thousand of them."
