Josh Turnbull has been given a limited chance to impress his country's Sevens selectors but the giant young flanker is still hopeful of booking a place in the Wales squad for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai in March.
Turnbull plays his rugby at the Llanelli Scarlets and turned out against the Barbarians before travelling out to Wellington last week, where he was a non-playing squad member in the Sevens team.
Having played for Wales at Under 19 and Under 20 level, he knows how it feels to pull on the red jersey but admits to being twitchy ahead of the USA Sevens at San Diego's PETCO Park this weekend.
"I'm a little nervous but it's nothing different from playing for your country in 15s, like I've done on numerous occasions with the 19s and 20s," Turnbull told Total Rugby.
"I'm going to be nervous on the day, but I've great boys around me on the pitch. My room mate Rhys Webb had his first tournament in Wellington and he did awesomely well."
One chance to shine in San Diego
With the World Cup fast approaching, San Diego represents Turnbull's one chance to nail down a place for Dubai, having watched and learned from the sidelines in New Zealand.
"It was great to be involved in Wellington last week with the boys. I went there as part of the squad to train with them and be part of everything.
"You've got to be a lot more switched on in Sevens, know what the other players around you are doing and use your head a lot more in this game," he added.
"You don't get that much time to place the ball in the contact area, you get turned over quite easily because you don't have the numbers there hitting the rucks, it's a completely different game and I can't wait to get out there and play.
"I was only a spectator in Wellington but to see the crowds, it was something different, a great party atmosphere and probably something I won't experience again. I just couldn't believe how many people were there watching it."
Representing Wales on home soil at the IRB Junior World Championship 2008 is one of Turnbull's career highlights so far, including captaining the side against South Africa in the play-off for third place at the Liberty Stadium.
Tough test against Fiji and Pumas
He was also involved in the Under 19 event in Dubai in 2006 and, knowing that the country's rugby facilities have since experienced something of a make-over with the development of a brand new facility 'The Sevens', makes him doubly committed to winning a place to compete in March.
"To be able to go to Dubai again with the Sevens team and experience the World Cup in my first year would be awesome," he said, while at the same time admitting that he and Wales face two of the best sides in the world on day one at PETCO Park.
"Fiji are going through a bit of a team rebuilding process but they're obviously one of the giants of the Sevens game and on their day can still be the best in the world. Having seen what Argentina have done this season they fight for everything and are a very very good team and Mexico we don't know much about but I'm sure will present their own challenges.
"Having not played until this week in San Diego gives me a limited opportunity, but if I play to the best of my ability I'm sure I can maybe catch one of those plane tickets to the World Cup."
Of the Wales squad that competed in Wellington, Aled Brew, Aled Thomas and Dafydd Hewitt now travel home to be replaced by Turnbull, Jimmy Norris and Chris Czekaj, who makes his first foray into international rugby since suffering an horrific leg injury in June 2007.
Rugby World Cup Sevens tickets still available
