Olly Robinson has revealed he is driven by the intense competition for places in the Cardiff Blues back row.
After recovering from a shoulder injury, the flanker is set to make his first start since November in Sunday’s Guinness PRO14 encounter with Benetton Rugby.
He is joined in the back row by Wales international duo, Josh Turnbull and Ellis Jenkins, with the latter also returning from a knee injury in recent weeks.
With the likes of Josh Navidi, James Botham, Will Boyde, Sam Moore and Shane Lewis-Hughes missing through international call-ups or injuries, youngsters such as Alun Lawrence, Gwilym Bradley and Alex Mann have stepped up and impressed in training and matches.
Robinson believes the competition can only improve the back row as a unit and says there is an opportunity to learn from everyone around him, including the younger players in the squad.
“I have a great relationship with Ellis and I love playing with him. It’s about combinations on the pitch and how they suit each other,” explained the back row.
“With the way rugby is played nowadays, it’s less about having a six, seven and eight, and more about getting the right people on the pitch.
“The way Ellis has come back in has been unbelievable and has surpassed even his own expectations. He’s slotted straight back in there and it’s been impressive to watch.
“He piled the pressure on me last week, because I’d only been out for three months and he’d been out for two years, came in and pretty much put in two man of the match performances.
“There’s plenty of quality here. You look at the way Gwilym Bradley has played over the last few weeks.
“You’ve also got Alun Lawrence, Ellis coming back in and Josh Turnbull seems to put in an 80 minute performance every time he plays.
“It’s an area that we’re really blessed and it’s been a real strength of ours. It’s been great for us to challenge each other and keep trying to improve each other as much as we can.
“We’re all really good friends as well and it’s good to learn off each other. When we get on the pitch it can get a bit heated sometimes but that’s how you learn. You get better from putting yourself in those situations.
“Even in training this week, even younger boys like Alex Mann have shown themselves to be outstanding players so us older ones need to be on our toes all of the time.
“I get to learn as much from them as they get to learn from me. I’ve enjoyed working with Gwilym who is a brilliant tackler and it’s great to pick his brain as well and try to get some tips from him. The two of us have bounced off each other.
“But that’s true for everyone. You’re constantly learning and you can’t stand still and think you’re the complete player. You always need to try to pick up things from different players around you.”
With two games remaining in the regular Guinness PRO14 season, the race for European qualification is still alive for Dai Young’s side.
However, Robinson insists his side’s focus will remain on their own games and results, while also praising the work done off the pitch to ensure professional rugby has been able to continue during the recent lockdowns.
"We’re in a really privileged position to be able to play rugby at the moment and be doing what we love,” added Robinson.
“It’s been an interesting season, but first and foremost the fact that we’re out there is a testament to the work done behind the scenes.
“But for us, it’s really important in these last two games to build on the momentum we’ve had in training.
“We were disappointed with the results over the last couple of weeks and we particularly feel in the last game that we could and perhaps in different circumstances should have come away with more from that game.
“We don’t know how Europe is going to shape up next year, so it’s really important to go as hard as we can over the next two games and put in good performances.
“That will also be important going into the knockout rounds in this year’s European campaign. It’s a competition that, historically, we’ve done well in and it’s a really good opportunity to build momentum going into the Rainbow Cup and beyond.”