Theo Cabango was proud to see his hard work paying off as he bounced back from early career set-backs to score a brace of tries on his home United Rugby Championship debut for Cardiff.
The academy wing, who had initially impressed in Europe in December, chipped in with two tries in an electric performance as the Blue and Blacks completed a stunning comeback to come away with all five points against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.
Cabango was pleased to repay the belief shown in him by the Cardiff coaches as Young’s men showed their character as a squad.
“It was quite surreal. I was pleased with the first but to get a second was the cherry on top of the cake,” said the youngster.
“I’m really happy and really pleased for the crowd as well. I was glad we could get another win for them. We just need to carry on for next week now.
“I’m always trying to get better, working off my wing to get on the ball more. So it was definitely nice to get different types of tries as it’s something I’ve been working on.
“I know a couple of players have been unfortunate [with injuries] but you’ve just got to take your chances.
“In my career to date I’ve missed out on a few things but now luck is starting to go my way a little so I’ll carry on working hard.
“I’ve had injuries with my shoulder and missed out on the under-20s completely, and before that the 18s as well.
“So I missed out on things that could’ve helped my career but I feel like I’ve worked hard and deserve to be here.
“They’ve given me my chance and I’m showing what I can do and what I can achieve.
“I’m really pleased that the coaches are behind me and they’re urging me to not look back and keep going forward.
“You could see today, when we went down a few points, we all came together, especially after South Africa.
“We’ve learned from that to stay positive with one voice and we all listen to each other. We stuck to the game plan and it all worked out in the end.”
The former Plasmawr and Glantaf pupil was also delighted that his family were in attendance on a memorable evening in the capital.
Cabango added: “It’s always nice to prove to everyone that I’m here for a reason and that I can play to this level.
“I just wanted to make the family proud and it’s what I always work hard to do.
“My brother has worked hard to get to where he is now and hopefully I can achieve the same heights as he has.
“I was really happy that my family were here to watch me scoring in front of a big crowd like this. It’s amazing.”