Macauley Cook admits he is overwhelmed by the fact that he is in-line for his 150th Cardiff Blues appearance against Munster tonight.
The former Wales under-20 captain, who is into his ninth season with the region, made his senior debut in the Anglo-Welsh Cup against Exeter Chiefs.
Cook, who starts tonight’s game on the bench, has vivid memories from his regional debut in 2010 and is proud to reach another significant landmark.
“It’s massive, I’m very proud and my family are very proud," said Cook.
“I’ve been here a long time now and when I started here I really looked up to some of the older boys who played like Gethin Jenkins, Deiniol Jones and T Rhys Thomas.
“Boys like that have played so many games for the region and it’s mad that I’m up there now with those sort of numbers.
“You always remember your first game. Mine was off the bench against Exeter at the Cardiff City Stadium in the old LV= Cup.
“I was only on for about 10 minutes and I was running around like a headless chicken and it was a bit frantic. I’ll always remember that game.
“We drew in the end, but I couldn’t believe the pace of the game. I was only 18 at time and had only played Premiership rugby, so it was a step up from that.
“I made my first start in the league against Aironi, playing with very experienced boys like Paul Tito and Richie Rees and I was a bit in awe.
“It’s been a long time since then and I’m just excited to hopefully make it onto the pitch and get that landmark to make the family proud.
“So yeah, I’m very proud, but the most important thing for us now is to put the performance in and win the games.”
Cook says the squad is determined to prove a point on Friday night, and he is confident in his side’s ability to clinch the result.
“It will be all about putting the performance in and right the wrongs from the last couple of weeks.
“We were bitterly disappointed with the results from the first three games, losing by a couple of points here and there, so we’ve had a big week looking at where we went wrong.
“We’re excited that we get the chance to make things right against Munster this week.
“We have the squad here and the quality in the squad to do the job. Last year proved that, where we put in the performances.
“We’ve shown glimpses of it this season, but we need the complete performance and I’m sure we’ll the result if we manage that.”