Dragons back row Aaron Wainwright is relishing the chance to get stuck into his first Rugby World Cup campaign after a big welcome to Japan.
Wainwright has enjoyed the first few days of his experience in the Land of the Rising Sun as the global showpiece prepares to begin with the hosts playing Russia on Friday.
Warren Gatland’s side are preparing for their first game with Georgia on September 23 with a training camp in Kitakyushu.
Wainwright said: “It was a really nice welcome. It was quite crazy and then we got to the hotel where we had a welcome banquet and a bit of a sing song.
“A couple of school kids played bells and the mayor spoke as well. It was really good.”
Wainwright, 21, now has 12 Wales caps and impressed in the four warm-up matches for Japan.
He added: “It’s been a tough couple of games. We’ve had some good spells and now we’re just looking forward to playing Georgia. It’s a big block of training for us now and we’re focusing on that first game. It’s going to be really important for us.
“There are six of us in the back-row here so competition is very high. If I can get a starting place in the team it would be massive for me.
“That’s what the training camps are there for – to get us in the best possible condition. It’s quite warm here so that will benefit us. We’ve had a couple of days to rest and then we’ll be training in these hot conditions. That will help us massively.
“Since I started playing rugby the biggest goal I would’ve aimed for would be to get selected for the World Cup. To be here and experience the welcome we’ve had with everything that’s gone on has been massive.”
There are six of us in the back-row here so competition is very high...
