Centre Gavin Evans admits he has 'loved every minute' of his time with Cardiff Blues are he prepares for another big day and hitting a major milestone on Saturday.
Evans is set to line up for his 100th appearance for the Blues when they face London Irish in the European Rugby Challenge Cup at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.
The 30-year-old has been with the region since 2009 – having previously appeared at Scarlets – and took time this week to reflect on his time at Blues and look forward to the big game with the Exiles this weekend.
“I’m really looking forward to the game with London Irish and, in terms of the 100 games, it has flown by,” he said.
“I’ve been here six seasons now and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m looking forward to this big game in Europe now.
“There has been plenty of competition for the jersey over the years. The likes of Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin, Gareth Thomas and Casey Laulala. There have been some great centres here and I have learnt a lot from those guys.
“It’s been a good six years for me. My favourite match would probably be when we beat Racing Metro back in 2011. That is a game that always stays with me.”
Blues will be looking to back up the 24-14 win over London Irish when the teams meet again on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
And Evans knows the outcome could go a long way to deciding who finishes top of Pool 1.
He said: “If we concentrate on ourselves, get things right and approach it like we did last week we can look forward to a good game again.
“When you play at home you expect to win. I know they are not doing how they would like in the English league, but they are a good side, throw the ball about and play with width and have strike runners. They also have a very big and powerful set of forwards.
“It will be a tough game, but if we stick to what we are good at and keep the ball for a lot of phases then we can come away with a win.
“Our defence was really good at home. With the way they play, with width and flair, we needed to stick to our systems and that was a big plus for us. Now we want to back it up.”