Lydiate’s focus on Ospreys after he misses out on Japan

FOR Dan Lydiate, it must be a strange feeling watching this World Cup as a spectator.

At the last two tournaments, in 2011 and 2015, he was a mainstay of the Wales team, a nailed-on starter over on the blindside.

But, this time around, he is back home, having missed out on selection, leaving him focused on his new role as Ospreys skipper, with the domestic season about to get underway.

Yet the 64-cap flanker refuses to give up hope of pulling on the Wales jersey again, insisting he wouldn’t be playing the game if he didn’t think he could still perform at the highest level.

Back in the autumn of last year, he had looked well placed to make it three World Cups in a row.

He had been recalled to the starting lineup after precious little international rugby in the previous two injury-hit years and he’d performed well in the victories over Scotland and Australia.

Come the final Test of the campaign against South Africa, he was selected at No.6 once more. It looked as though he was firmly back on board.

But then the fickle of finger of fate came into play...or more precisely the fickle elbow of fate.

A problem with his elbow forced a late withdrawal from the Springboks clash and, as it turned out, it was to keep him sidelined for five months.

By the time he returned in April, there were just a couple of games left in the season and it proved to be too late for him to force his way into Wales’ World Cup training squad.

“It’s hard,” he admits, reflecting on missing out on the trip to Japan.

“Obviously you want to be part of the big tournaments.

“If you said anything different, you shouldn’t be playing the game.

“You never know what the coaches are thinking.

“I had a couple of games off the bench when I came back and then played the last match of season at the Liberty against the Scarlets. Rugby correspondent

“I thought I had a pretty decent game there, but obviously it wasn’t enough to put my hand up for selection.

“It’s up to the selectors. I can only do what I do and if I don’t get picked, I don’t get picked.

“It’s not really one for me to ask the question.

“It is what it is, I’ve just got to concentrate on the here and now and playing well for the Ospreys.

“That’s where my main focus is, keeping my head down and doing my job for the region.”

However, returning to the Test arena remains a definite ambition. He will be 32 in December, yet clearly believes there is plenty of gas left in the international tank.

“I still want to play at the highest level. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing this game now,” he said.

“Rugby is a short career,

“Dave Denton had to retire last week and he is two years younger than me. “So you just want to make the most of it. “All rugby players know you are just one injury away from retirement.

“So while you are playing you want to play the best you can against the best. “Before you know it, it’s going to be over. “As long as you are playing the game, you want to be the best and that’s even now, I still want to be the best.”

In Lydiate’s absence, Aaron Wainwright has emerged on the blindside and secured a place in Wales’ first-choice back-row in Japan.

“He has been given a chance and really taken it with both hands to be fair to him,” said the 2013 Test Lion.

“It’s pretty similar to where I was in my career at the 2011 World Cup.

“All credit to the guy, he really put his hand up in the warm-up games.

“It’s a massive chance for him on the world stage, so hopefully he can take it, which I am sure he will.