Liam Belcher never gave up on his dream of playing for Wales, but there were times when he questioned whether it would ever happen.
Not least of those was the period when he found himself without a club and unemployed, while recent years have seen him miss out on squad selection despite his consistent form for Cardiff Rugby.
But now, at the age of 29, the stalwart hooker has finally fulfilled his ambition, having made his Test debut against Japan over the summer, going on to share in the win which ended an 18-match losing run for the national side.
So, as he prepares to take on the Lions in Saturday night’s BKT URC opener at the Arms Park, it’s a case of Liam Belcher, Welsh international. How does that sound?
“Surreal is the word you could use, I guess,” he replies.
“It’s obviously great for me and my family.
“Pride is probably the biggest emotion. It’s something I have always dreamed of. I think everyone who picks up a rugby ball wants to play for their country. So it was more the fulfillment of accomplishing that.
“It was quite emotional, more so for the second Test because my parents were both out there for that game, along with my brother and sister-in-law. Seeing them in the crowd at the anthem was probably more tearful than the first Test.
“I think it’s always a dream, but there were times along the way in my journey where I thought ‘Right, that’s probably not going to happen now’, with setbacks and not getting pictured for certain squads where I thought I might have a decent chance. I was thinking that is my chance, and it’s gone.
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“So getting selected took me by surprise, to be honest. It’s a rollercoaster, I would say.”
Belcher’s big moment came 13 minutes from the end of the first Test against Japan in Kitakyushu when he replaced skipper Dewi Lake.
“I knew Dewi could do 80, so it was twitchy bum time at that point,” he admits.
“I was just obviously glad I got on.”
It was, however, a bittersweet occasion, with Wales losing 24-19, having led by 12 points at one stage, leaving a mood of desolation.
“I haven’t seen a changing room like it, if I am being honest with you,” says Belcher.
“It was really bad, probably the worst one I’ve been in.
“Then to see how a week in sport is so different with the changing room after the second Test.
“It was a mixture of relief and elation at getting over the line. It was nice, I got the second game as well, especially with the win.”
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The second Test, which Wales won 31-22, was played under the closed roof of the Noevir Stadium in Kobe, with the temperature up in the 30s.
“It was like being in an oven. That’s the only way I can explain it. There was no air con in the stadium. It was like playing in a sauna. It just really drained you,” said Belcher.
As for what he will do with his newly earned cap, he says: “It’s going to be mounted, and I’m probably going to be giving it to my parents to have in their house. It’s more for them.
“It does give you a flashback to how many people have helped you get there.
“It’s probably one of those things I will look back on at the end of my career and reflect on, whereas now the mentality is next job.”
That next job will be the meeting with the Lions, which will be the start of life without Matt Sherratt, who has moved on to join the Wales coaching set-up.
Cardiff missed out on the URC play-offs by just one point and one place last season, so what has that done for the mentality going into the new campaign?
“I don’t think it’s a case of we want it more. The want has always been there,” says club captain Belcher.
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“It’s more a case of a belief that we can do something on the back of beating Munster at home and the Ospreys at the stadium, and probably the way we played. Hopefully that will take us into the play-offs.”
Cardiff warmed up for the new season with an eye-catching 30-10 win away to URC champions Leinster.
“I think we have kicked on again with our attacking side and we are trying to get better at defence,” says Belcher.
“We made the most tackles in the league last season, which is a good stat because it means you are working hard for each other.
“But you don’t want to be in a situation where you are making more tackles than everyone else because it means you are defending for a lot of the time and doing less attacking.”
Belcher is hoping for a bumper attendance for the Arms Park clash with the Lions from Johannesburg.
“We have had a decent few crowds in the last couple of years,” he says.
“Them showing up to support us shows the bigger picture of what it means to be Cardiff in Cardiff. If they show up, it shows strength by numbers in a sense.”
In terms of his own ambitions, the man from the Rhondda would clearly love to add to his two Wales caps.
“When you get a taste for it, everyone wants to go back up for it,” he admits.
Being an international means all the more to Belcher, given he found himself without a club at 22 after spells with Cardiff and the Dragons.
At the time, he was planning on playing at semi-pro level and focusing on a career as an electrician, until Cardiff came in with a fresh deal. The rest is history, culminating in a memorable summer out in Japan.
So, has his newfound Test status changed his life?
“People want more spotlights and sockets done. My electrical work is on fire,” he quips.
