Seb Davies is determined to take every opportunity that comes his way after returning to Cardiff Blues a "different man" this season.
The hulking second-row has been one of the standout performers in a frustrating start to the 2017-18 campaign.
Davies, who made 13 appearances last season, has already racked up half as many match minutes and Danny Wilson has been thrilled with his contribution.
Wilson said: “Seb is a different man. He seems to have come of age.
“He will admit to you we had our bits and pieces with him last season. We were certainly quite hard on him come the tail end of the year.
“But he is a great prospect and now he is working extremely hard. He is showing that maturity as a professional.
“He is preparing far better and it leads to performances like we saw out there against Glasgow. He was outstanding.
“He is a young second row that’s a great prospect for the future. He is getting good exposure and responding well to that.”
Davies, a product of Glantaf, admits his laid back persona initially saw him take his eye off the ball.
But some stern words from Wilson, Richard Hodges and the strength and conditioning coaches gave him the necessary direction and he showed his potential during Wales’s summer tour.
“I’ve had a couple of kicks up the a**e in training,” reflects Davies. The conditioners have been getting on to me, and have played a massive part in my development, as has Richard Hodges and Danny Wilson as well. They’ve spurred me on.
“I think most people would describe me as laid back. Horizontally laid back!
“I’ve maybe taken things for granted in the past, but now I’ve realised that I’ve got a massive opportunity and not a lot of people get that. It’s a privileged place to be.
“I needed to step up in training and that’s definitely been fixed now, especially with the summer tour with Wales over the summer. That was a massive step up and you’ve got to be on your game all of the time.”
Davies picked up a well-deserved Guinness man-of-the-match award on Saturday following a physical performance in which the 21-year-old displayed his mobility, set-piece prowess and ability at the breakdown.
He added: “I am just taking my chances and putting in performances that I can be proud of. I just enjoy playing rugby, and try not to think too much about it off the field. I like to put on that Blue shirt and just getting out there.”