Olympic silver medal winner James Davies has set his sights on a new podium – the platform of Test match rugby for Wales this autumn.
The Scarlets flanker has played three matches for his region since returning from his sevens adventure in Rio de Janeiro with Great Britain.
None have hit the heights of his stand-out displays for the runners-up in Brazil, but Davies still has his eyes on taking the Wales No.7 shirt from Sam Warburton.
That would probably require interim Wales head coach Rob Howley to move Warburton – already his declared captain – across the back row and Davies does not lack determination to enforce the re-shuffle.
The 25-year-old younger brother of Wales centre Jonathan Davies says: “Playing for Wales is the goal for any Welsh rugby player.
“I am going to keep doing what I am doing. I thought I did enough last year.
“I am going to keep working hard – I train my backside off every day – and am going to keep doing that. I’ll keep knocking on the door and if that call comes it is going to be as special as what I have achieved in the summer. Hopefully it does, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Davies admits the sunshine of Rio was far removed from the driving rain of his most recent match for the Scarlets – their first Guinness Pro 12 victory of the season against Connacht last weekend.
“It was a bit of a reality check! But it was a decent win for us, it was nice to get the monkey off our back.
“You lose your first three games and everyone tightens up, you could feel the relief after the game and hopefully it relaxes a few of the boys and we can start expressing ourselves and putting the chances away.
“We are going into every game believing we can win. We need to keep the confidence and build as much momentum as we can.
Davies’s return has also meant he been able to play alongside his brother for the first time in their careers – a family achievement that could yet be repeated at international level.
They would become the first brothers to play together for Wales since former Cardiff Blues pair Nicky and Jamie Robinson 10 years ago.
Davies adds: “It’s been good playing with Jonathan. I am putting myself outside of him in the wide channels and I told him the other day I have felt like David Seaman trying to catch the ball because the weather has been so bad.
“Obviously, he is a great player and great to have around the squad, it’s just that experience, I guess, and he has that in abundance.
“It’s great for the squad, great for me and we haven’t had a fight yet, so that’s good.
“He is having a go at me about the flat a bit, but I guess that is how it works and we won’t talk about that.
“People talk about transition into sevens and you have got to do the same when you come back to 15s and I am still going through that process at the moment.
“The more the weeks go by the better I can be. I have lost a bit of weight, but that is going back on quickly, so hopefully I can get back to where I was last year.
“Some critics will say sevens doesn’t transfer into the 15s, but what I will say it was the most incredible journey, most incredible experience of my life.
“For me, missing out on the New Zealand tour, I can only be grateful for that because I wouldn’t have changed anything about what I have experienced over the summer.
“I looked at it as like the Lions, representing four countries for Team GB.”
