Disbelief for Dollman after hisWales call-up
PHIL Dollman has revealed his sense of disbelief at being called up by Wales for the first time at the age of 32.
The Exeter full-back insists he would never have given up on his dream of playing international rugby until the day he retired.
But he admits he thought it was becoming increasingly unlikely and that it had probaly passed him by.
So when he received the invitation from coach Robin McBryde to join the squad for the South Seas tour as a replacement for the injured Rhun Williams, he was left somewhat dumbstruck.
In fact, he initially thought it was a wind-up.
“I was getting in the shower after training and I saw I had a couple of missed calls on my phone,” he explained.
“I just thought I would pick them up afterwards.
“When I did, there was a message from Robin McBryde asking me to give him a call back.
“I was half thinking it was a joke and one of the boys leaving me an answer-phone message.
“But I spoke to a couple of the backroom staff and they said Wales had been in touch the day before, so it gave me the confidence to ring him back. When I did, I was pretty sure it sounded like Robin McBryde on the other end and not someone taking the mick.
“I can’t really remember what I said when he told me he would like me to go on tour.
“I was really taken aback by it. There was just a sense of disbelief.
“But I do know there was a big smile on my face.”
After being overlooked for so many years, Dollman did think his chance of representing his country had probably gone.
“I don’t think I had given up on it,” he said.
“Until the day I retired, I would always have held that goal of trying to play international rugby.
“But I had got to a point where I kind of came to realise age was not on my side and it was getting less and less likely.
“I thought it had probably passed me by. So it will take a while to sink in. I am just ecstatic.
“I have had some really nice messages from back home congratulating me on the call up.”
Dollman will have to cancel a family holiday with his wife and two children to the Balearic Islands to go on tour, while there are further domestic issues to attend to.
“We were moving house as well and getting a new dog, so there is plenty to be getting on with the next month,” he explained.
“But rugby comes first and hopefully that side of it can go well and everything else can take care of itself.
“The family understand that and have always been very supportive.
“It has always been my goal to play for my country.”
Dollman was born in Caerphilly and played for both his home town club and Bedwas, before linking up with the Dragons, making 38 appearances for the Men of Gwent.
However, in 2009, he found himself without a deal in Wales and so took up an opportunity with Exeter, who were then in the second-tier Championship.
He has gone on to become a stalwart figure for the Chiefs as they have grown into one of the leading sides in English rugby, making more than 150 appearances and helping them to successive Aviva Premiership finals, with a Twickenham appointment against Dai Young’s Wasps lying in store today (2.30pm).
“At the time, I was a bit disappointed that I had to leave Wales,” he admitted.
“It was a big thing to up sticks and come to Exeter. But I don’t look back on it negatively. It’s all turned out to be a big positive. As soon as I got down here, everything felt right and I have not looked back since.
“It has just been absolutely superb, a brilliant experience.”
Dollman is eligible for England through his father and residency and also for Italy through a grandparent, but he never considered an option other than the land of his birth,
“It has always been Wales for me,” said the former U18s international.
“I am Welsh at heart and I have always wanted to play for Wales since I was a young age and that was probably the reason I took up rugby.”