New language

I went to play in France for rugby reasons, but also for the cultural experience and I loved learning the language. By the end of my time there, I was 80% fluent. I really enjoyed the lifestyle, the weather, the rugby, the whole thing was fantastic! The training was very hard, the rugby was very physical, but it was a great life experience, not just a rugby experience. I'd encourage any player towards the end of their career in Wales to go there and give it a crack.

Talent vs attitude

In professional rugby, attitude is king. There are so many talented rugby players coming through in Wales these days, through the Academy system, however the ones that really make it to the top are the ones with the attitude and the desire to succeed. On Christmas Day when everybody else is eating turkey, these special guys will be out on the training field applying themselves.

New friends

When I look back I think about the friends I've made in the game. Even now, working as a commentator in the sport, I come across players I have played against on the international stage. I was in the World Cup 2007 and met again people like Joel Stransky, Ian Jones from the New Zealand side, John Eales and Martin Johnson. You look back at your career and you think 'Wow, it was great to be playing alongside and against these guys'. These are memories to treasure.

Play to your strengths

My strength was never standing out in the middle of the field running 100m, it was more a case of getting stuck in to the set pieces, line-outs, scrums and rucks, that side of the game.