The wing enjoyed a purple patch since the turn of the year, crossing for nine tries in 11 outings for the Cardiff Blues before a hamstring injury curtailed his campaign.
Despite the setback Lane was rewarded for his fine form with a call-up to Warren Gatland’s 42-man training squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup in Japan
Lane is one of two uncapped players named in the extended squad alongside fellow Cardiff Blues academy graduate and house-mate Rhys Carré.
The former Wales Under-20 star insists he is not in the camp to make up the numbers and wants to make it all the way to his first global showpiece.
“Some people think the hardest part is over by getting into the squad in the first place, but the biggest challenge of all is making sure I stay involved with this squad and make a claim for a spot in Japan,” said Lane.
“I suffered a lengthy injury against Lyon back in October, but was lucky to hit the ground running when I returned from that injury and felt fit and strong when I was coming into the business-end of the campaign.
“I was happy with my form in those games and thankfully that was enough to get me into the initial camp. Hopefully I can recover from my latest injury and take my form into the training camp and summer games.
“There is a big group of us in the extended training squad and hopefully I can keep my form and reach my ultimate goal of staying at this top level.
“From the outside looking in you can see the importance of fitting into this squad as a person and being a good bloke off the field. It’s about keeping your head down, working hard, and get on with all the boys.
“The rehab period has been pretty tough, and is probably a step-up from the intensity and conditioning I’m used to.
“But I’m starting to adapt and hopefully I can get back running pretty soon and try to link up with the full training sessions as soon as I can.
“I was elated to see my name amongst the squad and at the time I was with Rhys as he’s my housemate. It was pretty special for both of us to be called up at the same time and share that moment together.
“You can never be too confident of being called up, especially for the first time, as the international selection is tough.
“You have to perform pretty well for a year or two to force yourself into the mix. I was hoping to be involved and I was pretty happy when the call came.”
Lane will be challenging renowned international stars for a place in Gatland’s side, including Liam Williams, George North and future Cardiff Blues team-mate Josh Adams.
Former Whitchurch High School pupil Lane said: “I’ve been lucky to get used to playing with some top class players in my position at Cardiff Blues and in a similar way I’ll be looking to pick up a few things from experienced international players during the summer camp.
“I hope my game will improve from the experience and you can see examples from youngsters like Jarrod [Evans], Dillon [Lewis] and Seb [Davies] who have been part of international camps and come back to the region as better players and really benefitted from the experience.
“Even if I don’t get selected, hopefully I can bring my experience and learnings back to the region and be a better player for it next season.”
