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'There was definitely a part of me that felt the ship had sailed'
By Josh Raisey
Dragons scrum-half Rhodri Williams has admitted that he thought he would never play for Wales again after going ten years without adding to his three caps.
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The 31-year-old was recently included in Warren Gatland’s 35-player squad for the Autumn Nations Series, providing a chance to earn his first cap since the 2014 Six Nations.
Since his last cap against Scotland, Williams has been involved in Wales camps, but it seems likely that he will win an elusive fourth cap this November when Wales host Fiji, Australia and South Africa.
With the in-form Tomos Williams being the firm favourite to wear the No 9 shirt next month, Williams will be competing with the uncapped Ellis Bevan for a spot on the bench.
But after a ten-year exile, the scrum-half confessed that he thought his “ship had sailed” on the Test scene.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a part of me that felt it might have gone now that I am a bit older,” Williams told his club after the call-up.
“I like having targets to push for but there was definitely a part of me that felt the ship had sailed, but now I am over the moon to have another go.
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“I was 20 at the time (I played) and there has been a lot of rugby played since then, with a lot more experience,” he added.
“That was a special day, coming off the bench and the boys were doing really well. I managed to get on the end of a kick to score.
“Those are fond memories and fingers crossed I can put my right foot forward to push for another opportunity.
“We meet up on Monday and I will try to put myself in the best possible spot to earn a chance again.”
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It is not common for a player to return to a national squad after such a long absence, so the surprise many fans may have felt seeing Williams’ name in the squad was shared by the player himself.
The former Bristol Bears No 9 is still trying to process what has happened this last week.
“I was quite shocked,” he added. “The email came through just before the announcement, but I wasn’t checking my phone.
“I went straight into a meeting like a normal day and Dai said ‘we have got four boys in’ and I was one of them. It was a big shock.
“By then it was already out in the media – it was about 2.20pm when I found out! The phone had started going from family and friends.
“I am still trying to get my head around it. I haven’t hidden the fact that it has always been an ambition to get back in, so I am now both excited and nervous.”
Elis Bevan has been capped, do you just guess