TOMMY Reffell says he is being driven on by the competition for the Wales No.7 jersey with Jac Morgan back on the scene.
The Leicester flanker started on the openside throughout the Six Nations and the summer Test series against the Wallabies in Australia.
But, having missed those campaigns through injury, World Cup co-captain Morgan is now fit again and starring for the Ospreys.
In addition, fellow openside options Taine Basham and Dan Thomas have been in fine form for the Dragons and Cardiff respectively, with the versatile James Botham also very much in the mix.
Surveying the scene, Reffell said: “The competition in the 7 jersey is obviously really high at the moment and it’s only going to push us all to play better and train better.
“There are great back rowers all across Wales and I guess all of us would like to play.
“Look, competition is great. Let’s be honest, the more competition we can have in Wales the better for the national team.”
Giving his thoughts on why there is such a production line of opensides, he said: “I don’t know whether it comes from an age thing where you are thrown in there when you are younger. Also maybe we are not the tallest of people, so that’s probably why you see a lot of 10s and 7s around!”
Reffell: Competition at 7 is pushing us all
The Wales squad for the autumn internationals will be announced tomorrow with games against Fiji, Australia and South Africa to come next month as they look to end a nine-Test losing run.
“There is a lot of experience out there that can come back into the squad and keep us building to get the win,” said the 20cap Reffell. “I really enjoy going into camp. There’s a good group of boys who are all willing to train as hard as possible to get the results the Welsh supporters deserve.”
Reflecting on last season, when he really blossomed on the Test stage, he said: “It was a long year, but a good year. I enjoyed it. There were ups and downs, but that’s all part of playing rugby.
“Being another year down the line as an international player is obviously going to be a massive help for me, in terms of experience. People say is there a difference between Test rugby and club rugby and I’d say, yes, it’s probably more physical.
“So a lot of what you do to prepare yourself is around your gym work. It’s all about trying to tick boxes to get myself better.
“I am always learning. It feels like I’ve been in a lesson a long time and I have learned a lot already, but I still feel like I can improve my game even more, especially the attacking side of things. I am always looking to get better.”
As for playing under new Leicester coach Michael Cheika, the 25-yearold Reffell says: “He has come in and stamped his authority straight away. He’s great to work with. His coaching pedigree speaks for itself.
“The ideas he has got are great and the way he has applied his knowledge on to us so far, you only want to learn more off him. He is a very smart coach.”
