Steve Shingler is determined to take his chance at number 10 as Cardiff Blues take on Toyota Cheetahs in the Guinness PRO14 on Saturday.
With both Gareth Anscombe and Jarrod Evans in the Wales autumn squad, Shingler is set to be handed a long-awaited opportunity to pull on the fly-half jersey.
Having patiently waited for his break, while playing for the Cardiff Blues A side, Shingler is now counting down the minutes to kick-off at Toyota Stadium.
He said: “I just love playing and especially in those games where you come out to places like South Africa to play the Cheetahs. It’s a good experience here and to get the start is pleasing.
“I had a chat with Mulvers (John Mulvihill) earlier in the season and he explained that Jarrod had the nod at 10 and Anscombe can play 10 and 15, which meant I was playing for the A team.
“I had a good run of games playing for them and I’ve been playing rugby, which means I’m hopefully fit, firing and ready to go. It’s better than not playing and has been beneficial.”
Shingler came off the bench last season as Cardiff Blues battled back against the Cheetahs only to be denied at the death.
He expects another thrilling encounter in Bloemfontein and knows it is a crucial encounter in a testing period of fixtures on the road.
“I came off the bench after half an hour, it was good,” said Shingler. “We were trailing by a converted try or two but came back and were winning until the penalty try in eighth minute of injury time.
“It was a good experience, a good game and we managed to put a few tries past them so I’m looking forward to Saturday.
“We’re expecting much the same, they like to play a wide brand of rugby, they like to play from turnovers so we have to respect the ball and play our own game.
“It’s a huge period and if we win these games we will be second or third going into the break before Glasgow and Ulster away. It’s a tough little period this autumn but if we can put our foot forward we will be in a good spot.”