Dewi Lake has a simple piece of advice for any players making their Principality Stadium debuts on Judgement Day: “Just drink it in.”
The 25-year-old Ospreys and Wales hooker has taken the field at the iconic ground 11 times for club and country – it would have been many more but for injuries - including three appearances in the regional head-to-heads in the capital.
But, for a fair few players, this weekend’s derby double header will be their first experience of the stadium.
Lake’s Ospreys will open Saturday’s proceedings in a pivotal clash with fellow BKT URC play-off contenders Cardiff (3pm).
That will then be followed by a meeting between the Scarlets - who are also in the top eight mix - and the Dragons (5.30pm).
The 20-cap Lake is urging any stadium newbies to make the most of the occasion and not let it pass them by.
“Just drink it in. That’s the advice I try to tell myself now when I get to step out onto the field,” he said.
“Take it all in because it can quickly overwhelm you and be one of those moments you don’t appreciate for what it is.
“When you step onto the field, you are going out there to do a job and you are in a certain zone, so that moment can pass you by.
“My advice would definitely be to have a look around, take in the atmosphere and the occasion and understand what is going on.
“You are playing at a stadium that not many get to play at. It’s the home of Welsh rugby that has been talked about and discussed for years as the best stadium on earth. So I think a big point is just around enjoying it.
“To have Judgement Day back at the Principality this year is a real treat.
“Family and friends are going to get to watch you play at the stadium. For boys’ parents and relatives, it’s going to be a great occasion.”
READ MORE: Mark Jones Calls For “Next Level” As Ospreys Eye Historic European Semi-Final
The 25-year-old continued: “My first opportunity to play there was home to Scotland in the 2022 Six Nations.
“It was probably the scale of it that struck me. To see that many people in an enclosed space, watching what you are producing and hoping the best for you to perform is quite a unique thing.
“It’s not necessarily the noise because sometimes when you are on the field you can be zoned out to some of it.
“I have said to my parents ‘Was the anthem loud?’ because when you are shoulder to shoulder with the guy in the jersey all you can hear is them screaming!”
READ MORE: Matt Sherratt Targets URC Play-Off Push After Cardiff Come Back From The Cliff Edge
It’s been something of a disrupted season for the Bridgend-born Lake as he suffered a serious bicep injury in mid-December.
“I was just doing run of the mill stuff in training,” he recalls.
“I kind of left the arm out there and an elbow hit it and ruptured the tendon. The bicep had shortened straight away, so I knew. It was quite an obvious thing.”
READ MORE: Dragons and Wales Prop Leon Brown Left No Stone Unturned, Says Filo Tiatia
He feared the damage was going to keep him out of a third successive Six Nations, but in the end he was able to get back for the final two games of the Championship.
“I’m not the first to get injured and I won’t be the last,” he said.
“It is just part of the game we play. It is what it is, unfortunately.
“I have got a bit of regret with the timings. I seem to keep getting injured just when the Six Nations is coming up. It’s happened the last three in a row.
“The thankful thing is I was able to get back to play in a couple of games with some unbelievable work done by physios.
“There is plenty in the tank and the appetite is there after missing quite a big chunk of rugby.”
So Lake will be fresh and raring to go as he heads into the crucial clash with ninth-placed Cardiff, who are three points ahead in the highly congested URC table.
“They are a class outfit with dangerous individuals,” he said.
“There is a reason they are pushing for the top eight, as well as us, and that’s because they are a good team with some major threats. So we know they are going to be a challenge. It’s knockout rugby.”
READ MORE: Dwayne Peel Backs Scarlets Youngsters To Prove Best Of The West
