John Yapp is hoping to cement himself on the tight-head of the Blues scrum this season in a bid to win further Welsh honours.
The 27-year-old has made more than 100 appearances for the Blues and has 16 Welsh caps to his name since his international debut in the win over England in the first game of the 2005 Grand Slam.
But the majority of those caps have been on the loose-head and Yapp is now looking to continue with his switch to the other side of the scrum.
“Last season was pretty frustrating”, said Yapp.
“The move has been a bit stop start. I did it for a bit, then went back to loose-head, then I was injured. Hopefully now I can have a good run at it in the next few months.
“It’s tough, a lot tougher than playing loose-head. It will take time but hopefully we can move things forward. It’s all about getting game time on the tight-head and doing extra training to push it on. Dai (Young) and Justin (Burnell) back me 100 per cent and I couldn’t ask for much more.
“We have got a good squad of props but I think there is more of an opportunity on the tight-head side with the Blues and Wales.
“I will try and push for a place in the autumn squad and then we will see. It’s a big 12 months internationally with a World Cup coming up. It’s everyone’s ambition to be involved and it would be great to be there.”
But while Yapp is determined to make the most of the switch, the 27-year-old is under no illusions of the magnitude of the task he faces.
“I don’t think people realise how much difference there is between the two in the scrum”, added Yapp.
“It’s two completely different jobs. It’s like a prop going to play hooker.
“But it’s good to have a new challenge. It’s tough at times but you have to keep working through it. It’s all about having the right attitude.”
Yapp’s cautious enthusiasm is being mirrored by his region, with forwards coach Justin Burnell and head coach Dai Young convinced that the move will be a success for club and country alike.
Burnell has been hugely complementary about Yapp’s attitude, stature and penchant for hard work – a combination he believes gives the former Pontypridd and Llantwit Major prop a great chance to succeed at the very top.
“John is a tight-head and this is being supported from our camp and the Welsh set up,” added Burnell.
“As a tight-head you can’t have any one better than Dai Young looking after your progress.
“It’s like anything else, it won’t happen over night, but we have been working on his scrummaging on a one-to-one basis and we have been helping as much as possible.
“You only have to look at the size of him, his attitude and his approach to it to know it will work.
“I’m not saying he is an old fashioned prop, but his total focus on everything in training revolves around scrummaging so I can see it being a long-term and successful move for us and the Welsh camp.”
