Gabriel Hamer-Webb aims for Wales International call up ahead of an important season.

Gabriel Hamer-Webb moved to Cardiff on a temporary contract half way into last season, since that time he has earned himself a full-time, long term deal and become a trusted member of the squad.

The Back-Three speedster was once a football prodigy, and academy football could have kept him away from Rugby if not for some help from his friends.

Gabriel was picked up by the famous Southampton academy as a young boy, and was also associated with Bristol City’s academy later in his formative years. He has no regrets in choosing rugby over football – but rather thinks that his footballing experience has helped him get to this position within the sport.

“Rugby actually wasn’t my main sport when I was growing up. I played football until I was around 15 or 16 and I was late getting into rugby. All my friends played rugby and I went to Beechen Cliff which is linked to Bath Rugby. I just loved playing it. I definitely had to play catch up in my early years as a rugby player. I was in and out of football academies at Bristol and Southampton.”

Joining any sport late is difficult to merely to understand the rules of a new game, never mind becoming a professional elite athlete in a totally new sport.

“I would back myself to go far in any sport I pursued but it was just the enjoyment of rugby at the time which pushed me down that path. I don’t regret taking that path at all.

“I think all team sports are linked, especially the level I was playing at in the academies. You build that work ethic and you become very diligent. It is also high pressure from a young age and I think that goes straight into it and has stood me in good stead.”

Back when Gabriel Hamer-Webb arrived at the Arms Park, we had witnessed the demise of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish in a strikingly short amount of time. The winger had starred for England at age-grad and had impressed in his first seasons with Bath. A serious ankle injury stalled all that positive progress, and suddenly he was competing with tens of players all available for new professional contracts mid-way through the season.

Hamer-Webb headed to New Zealand, specifically to Southland, and experienced a new style of rugby as well as playing more minutes at 15 than he had previously.

“I had a big ankle injury during my last season at Bath and that was the biggest setback because I felt that was a season I was really kicking on and started to open myself up,” he said.

“As a person as well as a player that ( leaving ) was needed. Growing up in Bath my whole life it’s a small place and I think I needed something completely different here.

“Something that could really challenge me as a person and a player because it’s a completely different style of rugby. If I hadn’t gone there ( New Zealand ) I wouldn’t have been fresh to come back here and say I’ve actually played last week so you can chuck me straight in.

“It was a gamble and it paid off. It wasn’t my choice to leave Bath but the club came to a decision that it was better for me to go.

“Cardiff asked me to come in after I was in New Zealand, when I was in a bit of a rut in my career. I left Bath when other teams were going under in England.

“That was a period in the game that has been really tough for a lot of people. Luckily for me I wasn’t part of a team that went under but I found myself in a pool of players who were looking for contracts.

“It’s a dog fight then. Who wants it the most? Are you willing to do the hard graft to get to somewhere great? I managed to do it and managed to end up in a place I’m really happy at.”

Gabriel impressed immediately with his pace and finishing ability at Cardiff before moving on loan to Northampton Saints temporarily before returning to Wales towards the end of the season, where he signed a new long-term deal.

A bonus for the Arms Park faithful is that Hamer-Webb is Welsh qualified, from his mother’s side. His form last season led to rumors that Gatland had considered including the winger in his tour of Australia – it seems that Regan Grace made that spot instead.

In the end the call never came but Hamer-Webb is targeting a place in Gatland’s squad over the next few seasons.

“Wales is definitely on my radar right now,” he said. “But I’ve got to really earn it because I’ve come into a squad where you’ve got back three internationals and you’ve got the likes of Rio Dyer at the Dragons who is doing so well right now. But it is a big goal of mine.

“I haven’t been contacted directly (by Gatland). I can’t focus on that. All I can focus on is training and playing well for Cardiff.”

Hamer-Webb will be a key player this season for Cardiff, who are looking to turn a plethora of narrow losses last year into victories.

“A big focus in pre-season has been we recognise that last year there were games we were so close. Going up to Glasgow being that close and getting a losing bonus point,” he added.

“It’s just those final touches and that’s something we are going to really work on so we can push on this season. The playing style is perfect for me. I get my hands on the ball and I get space.

“I’ve also got brilliant players inside of me like Ben Thomas, Tinus de Beer and Callum Sheedy. I’ve got all these playmakers who can complement my game.

“From my point of view I want to be consistent, score more tries and do a good job for the team. I just want to do my job well and hopefully we can win more games this season.”

Rugby can overtake the life of its professionals, with constant training, conditioning and recovery taking time away from any passions outside the sport. Gabriel Hamer-Webb has made sure that doesn’t happen to him, by founding his own clothing brand – Banton Ltd.

“I’ve actually founded a clothing brand in Bath,” he said. “I want to take it wherever the wind blows to be honest.

“That’s something me and my business partner Lewis Bradley have started. Banton, as well as being a clothing brand, does run fitness classes and is in that space of sport and fitness but our main aim is the clothing side of things.

“That’s a big passion project of mine right now. It’s nice to have something away from rugby because when you get in that car to drive home you want to be able to switch off.

“It’s nice to have something that’s creative and doesn’t necessarily have financial gain. Away from rugby I’ve also taken a special interest in psychology which I took at A level.

“I’m looking to do a qualification in. I think through my experience in professional sport and the contacts I’ve made I’d like to build outside of rugby.”