Josh Adams is relishing the opportunity to continue his meteoric rise at the Arms Park as he prepares to make his Cardiff Blues debut against Pau on Saturday (7.45pm).
The Wales star arrived at his new home on Monday and has taken a full part in training following a stunning 18 months.
Having established himself at Worcester Warriors, where he became the English Premiership’s top try-scorer, Adams burst onto the international stage in the 2018 Guinness Six Nations.
Since then the has barely looked back scoring 11 tries in 21 Test matches, including crucial scores as Wales clinched a Grand Slam and reached the Rugby World Cup semi-final where he was also top try-scorer.
Now after adding another try to his tally in the uncapped victory over the Barbarians, he is ready to continue his fairy-tale journey at Cardiff Blues
He said: “It’s been up and down. A lot of up and obviously the down part is the World Cup semi-final. I haven’t felt a feeling like that before.
“We were bitterly disappointed because I thought the final was a very reasonable goal for us. If we got to the final we had every chance of winning that.
“On a personal note it’s been fantastic. I was lucky enough to play in all the games, which definitely helped with the try-scoring. I’m enjoying this journey I am on and long may it continue.
“My first day was a bit like the first day in school, which is a bit of a cliché when you come to a new club. But it’s been great. It’s helped that I know a lot of the boys anyway and I’ve shared a couple of good gags with Dan Fish, he’s made me laugh.
“The Cardiff Blues way, the brand, attracted me to come here. They play some lovely rugby with the young exciting backs and I’ve obviously played with Jarrod and Tomos at nine and 10 already. I know what exciting and fast-paced players they are so that suits me down to the tee.
“Hopefully I can get the ball in my hands and make a mark in the team. I’ve tried to get up to speed as quickly as possible and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
While Wales’ Capital Region have triumphed on three occasions over Pau, most recently in the 2018 Challenge Cup semi-final, Adams faced them twice in Worcester colours last season.
Honours were even with a victory and defeat each, and typically Adams got on the score sheet at Sixways.
He is well aware of the threats they pose but having settled into life at the Arms Park seamlessly, he is also brimming with confidence and ready to write the next chapter in his journey.
Adams added: “I’ve played Pau twice with Worcester in the Challenge Cup, so I know a bit about them.
“They definitely have some threats, they have some star players and a few All Blacks in there, and a massive, physical pack.
“We will have to be on our money defensively but hopefully our attacking, exciting brand can open up spaces for us to get some tries
“The Blues have history in this competition, winning it previously out in Bilbao and it’s one we want to do well in. We had a bit of a slip up against Leicester, but the boys did terrifically well last week in Benetton. That’s a tough place to go now and they’ve become a real force in the PRO14 so hats off to the boys who went out there.
“We have some momentum and confidence from that and with the Wales boys coming back in this week it has added to that.
“Home games are massive, and this place has been a pretty tough place for opposition teams to visit and we want to continue that. With that slip up against Leicester, every game is important in this competition and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”
Watch Josh Adams' Cardiff Blues debut live at the Arms Park on Saturday. Tickets are available now by calling 029 20 302030 or clicking here.