I want to start by assuring our fans that we’re right up for it against South Africa. We were all disappointed by what happened during the summer tour, and the whole squad wants to put things right. The aim is to carry on from the 6 nations, where we played some decent rugby.
Not just a friendly
These games aren’t just friendlies, they’re massively important. On Saturday we play one of the best teams in the world. We need to win at least two of these four games so we are high in the rankings for the World Cup in New Zealand. If not we risk getting seeded in one of the harder groups alongside a team like Australia or the Kiwis themselves.
South Africa won’t just be coming for a run out. They have picked a full strength team and they will be coming to win. It will be good to test ourselves against the best. I think it’ll be a great game and I can’t wait.
The spirit in the dressing room has been fantastic since we started training on Monday. The two Cardiff Blues lads Andy Powell and Leigh Halfpenny have been called up and they’re both starting as am I. They’re both good players and I’m sure they’ll do well.
Gavs looking tasty
Gavin Henson is back starting at 12 and Jamie Robson will be at 13 making his second appearance. Gavin is looking sharp. He scored against Worcester on his comeback and he’s playing well.
We have new conditioning coaches in Craig White and Mark Bennett, who are doing a great job. They want us to be the fittest team around. We want to concentrate on keeping the ball and wearing the opposition down.
It’s a shame that the lads that play in England like Peel, Cooper and Roberts are unavailable to face Australia, but we’re trying not to get involved with that. Our clubs pay our wages so I suppose they have the final say.
Spotlight doesn't bother me
On a personal level, I’ve been in the spotlight in the press recently but I try not to pay much attention to it. I just try to do the right thing on the field and concentrate on playing well. The guys who write these things are not the ones selecting the team for Ospreys or the Lions.
If I can maintain my form then I should be in the running for a starting place for the Lions, which of course is what I’m aiming for. Although the hype over selection is all over the papers we don’t really talk about it in the dressing room.
I’ve got Ospreys games, Welsh internationals and allsorts coming before I even come to think about the Lions, but of course it does happen and I am selected then that would be great.
Off the pitch it was sad to see my mate Mike Phillips getting attacked the other week. He’s an easy target in Wales as he’s well-known and he’s a big bloke so he stands out. But he’s alright now and it’s in the past.