It is a shame there’s not going to be a crowd for the match against Ireland, particularly since we’ll be playing at Principality Stadium. I’ve been fortunate enough to play in front of a full house there and it’s such an unforgettable experience – one I hope boys like Johnny Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit will get to have in the near future.
The best part of match day in Cardiff is normally the bus ride in, and this year of all years the people of Wales want something to celebrate. This time of year is often a bit grey and drab in the UK, and looking forward to Six Nations weekends is a way of getting people through that!
I tend not to read what the media is saying, but I’ve been told that Ireland are favourites for the game. It was only two years ago that we won a Grand Slam and got to a World Cup semi-final with a squad similar to this year’s. I’d always back us.
Of course Ireland are a fantastic team with household names throughout their side, and they pose a big threat. That said, so do we, but we’ve also got a bit of an unknown factor to us which is exciting. I believe we’re building towards something good.
I’ve been asked what I do with all my downtime during camp, but the honest answer is that I haven’t actually had any. I’ve got my medical school finals in three weeks, so if I’m not training my head is literally in books all the time. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though, because I enjoy being busy.
Reading is something I do a lot of anyway, although during lockdown it was more for pleasure. I must have read between 25 and 30 books. It was an opportunity to get through some of the classics I’d been meaning to read for a while; books like Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I also read Barack and Michelle Obama’s autobiographies.
My time with Cardiff Blues has been good. Having lived in Cardiff for eight years because of university, it’s great to be so close to training (five minutes down the road). When I moved there I already knew most of the boys from age grade rugby or from the national squad. We’re pushing on as a team and have picked up some good results – especially against Scarlets in recent weeks – and there’s definitely room to improve going into the tail end of this year.
I went to school in Monmouth, which was a really formative time for me. I loved it there. My passion for academia and rugby started there, and we had a Director of Rugby in John Bevan who’d won many caps for Wales. He was great for my development. I was then lucky enough to be with the Dragons in my final couple of years.
Cardiff University is where I’ve been studying medicine. Most of my friends from there are all qualified now and are junior doctors in London and Manchester. Knowing them is to be reminded that a lot of people are still working really hard on the front lines and are in a lot worse situation than most of us, so I feel really privileged. After my finals I’ve got another year to do placements, which I’m looking forward to.
This year will mark a decade since I made my professional debut for the Dragons [in which a 17-year-old Amos scored a try against Wasps and, briefly, became the region’s youngest ever player]. It feels like a long time ago now. I was in the first year of sixth form.
This year will also be eight years since I made my Wales debut against Tonga in Cardiff. It can be nice to look back on these things, but I’m more about looking forward – starting with this big Six Nations match against Ireland.
