Mason Grady is determined to make the most of his first team opportunities, after impressing in Friday’s friendly win over Ospreys.
The academy product, who put pen to paper on his first senior deal last summer, provided two assists and caused problems for the visiting defence with his combination of pace and power.
Grady, who made his Guinness PRO14 debut earlier this season, is now hungry for more opportunities and is feeling the benefit of learning from players such as Dan Fish, Owen Lane and Aled Summerhill.
“It’s good to have an opportunity, but it’s all about taking my chance. Hopefully I can stay around the squad for the rest of the season and get a few more games under my belt,” said the centre.
“The Arms Park certainly helped the game we wanted to play, and you see how fast the pitch is here.
“The boys got the balls out wide and it made for a good game.
“It’s good to learn from all of the experienced boys around me. I’ve managed to do that in training but it’s an even better experience to learn from them in a game.
“It was also good to play with Max Llewellyn in the centre, as we both played schools rugby with Glantaf.
“Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to get a few more games with them.”
One of Grady’s assists was a hack through for Ellis Jenkins, who touched down on his long-awaited return to action.
While Grady joked that the try was stolen from his grasps, he says it’s nice to see club captain Jenkins back in action and is looking forward to seeing the flanker regain his form.
“I did want the try but Ellis got there first,” joked the Wales under-20 international.
“It was a nice moment to see him touching down. It’s been around 800 days since he last played so it’s good to see him back.
“Hopefully he’ll be able to work himself back into the Welsh squad and rip it up."