Rhun Williams is hoping to finish the season on a high during the upcoming Champions Cup qualifiers, following a breakthrough campaign at Wales' Capital Region.
Cardiff Blues travel to Paris on Friday for the semi-final, and will take on Stade Francais, who lifted the Challenge Cup following a 25-17 victory over Gloucester at Murrayfield last week.
The full back is expecting a difficult task at the Stade Jean Bouin on Friday, but insists he is excited at the prospect of coming up against some of the world’s finest players.
“We’re expecting to face a physical side on Friday and I’m sure there will be a lot of noise and atmosphere at the stadium, with the team on a high after beating Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final last week,” said Williams.
“We’re preparing for a tough test and no doubt they will be up for the game. They were dominant against Gloucester last week and were obviously very motivated to lift the cup.
“They have a strong pack, a strong set-piece and we’ll have to face up to what they throw at us and hopefully we’ll be able to come out on the right side of the result.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play with and against some top class players over the course of the season, and facing the likes of Willem Alberts and Sergio Parisse will be a huge challenge, but also a big honour.
“Coming up against the best is what every player aspires to in their career, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity if I get selected.
“Qualifying for the Champions Cup would be a huge boost to everyone involved with the region. As I mentioned, you always want to play against the best players and the best teams in the world and playing in the Champions Cup gives you those opportunities.
“Similar to last season, it seems like we’re finishing the campaign strongly, and the past four results have given us confidence and momentum going into these upcoming play-off games. Hopefully we can use that momentum and get the win in what will be a tough visit to Paris.”
Williams’ debut campaign at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park was capped off with a call-up to the Wales squad for the summer tour to face Tonga and Samoa.
The Caernarfon RFC product, who remains on an academy contract with the Blues, admits his progress this season has come as surprise, but he is determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
Williams said: “I came down to Cardiff for my first season, but didn’t have too many expectations as I thought I’d mainly press on during my second year.
“I never thought I’d make my debut for Cardiff Blues this season, but I managed to do that at Treviso in November and from then it’s gone from one thing to another and really kicked on.
“One minute I was playing for Cardiff RFC in the Premiership, and the next I was training alongside some of the best players in the world, which was a big shock to the system. I’ve had to deal with the situation and adapt quickly but I’m really glad to have the opportunity.
“I played with some of the boys - like Dillon Lewis, Harri Millard, Liam Belcher - for the under-20’s and having them as friends during this first season has been a massive help for me to settle in.
“It’s also been a big boost to play alongside a lot of the other academy boys like Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti in the first team, and I think that experience will be a positive for everyone.
“Playing at Judgement Day was a great experience. It was the first time I’ve played at the Principality Stadium and our performance on the pitch was a huge positive for the squad and staff. It was a great day for everyone.
“I look up to the likes of George North, Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, and here at Cardiff Blues you’ve got the likes of Alex Cuthbert, Dan Fish, Matthew Morgan who I’ve been able to learn from on a day-to-day basis during this first year at the region.
“I received an e-mail about the Wales call-up 15 minutes before the announcement, but I didn’t tell anyone at the time.
“My father was was listening on the radio in the kitchen, and obviously heard I was in the squad so he came through to the lounge and congratulated me.
“The phone didn’t stop pinging throughout the day of the announcement and everyone is really proud to see me getting called up and playing well after moving down to Cardiff at the start of the season.
“It was a fantastic feeling to see my name in the same squad as the likes of Jamie Roberts, Scott Williams and Gareth Anscombe so I’m really chuffed.
“My targets for the tour is to make sure I keep mistakes to a minimum, keep my feet on the ground and hopefully show the coaches that I’m a hard worker in training.
“I’ve never been to New Zealand before, but I’m really excited and a lot of the boys have said it’s a fantastic place to visit. The furthest I’ve been on tour is South Africa when I was with the under-18’s.
“I’m expecting to be up against two tough, physical sides, but hopefully we can come together as a team and perform.”