Cardiff winger Josh Adams is back fit and in contention to face Dragons RFC at the Arms Park on Saturday, after returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

It comes at a welcome time for the Blue and Blacks after Mason Grady picked up an ankle injury during the Autumn Nations Series.

Adams, who hasn’t featured since May during Cardiff’s tour in South Africa, expressed his excitement about finally being back on the field and available for selection.

“I’m back in full training and feeling good,” said Adams.

“I’m up for selection for the first time in a while… I don’t know how long it’s been. It can’t be far off five or six months, so it’s been a long time.”

The 29-year-old admitted it was challenging to watch his teammates from the sidelines during the opening weeks of the season, especially after the comeback victory over Ulster in late October.

“Seeing the Cardiff boys in that first block, you want to be part of that, with the really good games we’ve had out there.

“It’s horrible seeing that because you know everyone afterwards in the changing rooms, were so elated with coming back and having a great victory, and you want to be part of it.

“But no, I’m really glad that I’m back on the pitch and fully fit.”

Reflecting on his career, Adams shared how his time away has given him a new perspective on the game.

“I probably didn’t realise just how quickly the first part of my career went, and when you look back at it, you take things for granted.

“When you’re younger, you naturally think you have bags of time. As you get on a bit, you sort of appreciate every time you get to play or train.

“Naturally, your body picks up more niggles and bangs, and you spend a little bit more time in the physio room than you want, so you start to appreciate it all a bit more.”

Adams opened up about the injuries that sidelined him for so long, detailing the hernia issue he faced over the summer and ongoing knee troubles from last season.

“I had a hernia problem which was ongoing throughout the summer,” added Adams. “We’d been to see two different people, finally got to the bottom of it, and got it resolved, but that required me to have a bit of time out after that.

“That was the main issue, and then obviously I had the knee trouble through last year, which was a pain in the backside, really.

“It kept filling with blood. They think I might have damaged a blood vessel, and it kept filling up constantly.

“Every time I was doing any activity, bending it, putting it under strain, force through it, it kept filling up.

“That was a nightmare, but I don’t want to say resolved itself, but it got better and better as time went on.”

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