Hooker Richard Hibbard cannot wait for the physicality and intensity of the Guinness PRO14 to return.
Former Wales international front row Hibbard will hope to be involved as Dragons face his former region the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 2.15pm).
The popular 36-year-old has reflected positively on his time away from match action and the valuable time spent with his family during the last five months.
However, he admits nothing can replace the heat of battle and putting his body on the line up alongside his team-mates.
“There’s nothing better than waking up on a Sunday and you can barely get out of bed because you are absolutely battered,” he said.
“I still absolutely love the physicality aspect. Honestly, you sort of miss out. It’s that weird feeling of kind of liking getting beat up. I know it’s sadistic, but you quite enjoy it.
“It’s being back on that field, it’s that challenge, testing your physicality and your mental strength. That’s what you miss. “We all do it because we love it and enjoy rugby.
“I can safely say every single squad member has missed it and we are looking forward to getting back out there.
“I’ve still got that fire for a challenge,” he added. “The day you retire is the day you give up that challenge, you let yourself get beat. I’m not ready for that.
"The break has put about five years on my career, I would say!”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s encounter, Hibbard admits getting back up to main intensity will be the biggest challenge for all involved.
“You know your lungs are going to be a bit dusty,” he smiled.
“You can train all you like, you can do all the running you like, but there’s no substitute for going from scrum to ruck, scrum to ruck, maybe a couple of mauls in the middle and then getting smoked.
“That’s something I look forward to and relish, when you are absolutely out on your legs and you still want to push on because you know your team-mates are relying on it.
“You know everybody is in the same boat. It’s how you can push through together.”
Hibbard undoubtedly takes huge positives from his valued time spent time at home during lockdown.
“One of the nicest things was actually slowing down,” revealed Hibbard.
“You sort of live your life at a million miles an hour normally. Everything is fast, everything is catered to grab and go, you’ve got to do it here and now.
“It was nice just to stop and enjoy your family’s company again and really take them in. “I really enjoyed that part. Being involved with the wife and kids was absolutely fantastic. That was lovely.”
Now the focus is firmly on Sunday afternoon and Hibbard admits preparation has understandably been different with restrictions still in place due to Covid-19.
However, for the popular front row is confident Dragons can take more steps forward with a big European quarter-final to also look forward to on the horizon.
“It’s kind of weird when you get back with the boys because all you want to do is hit each other really,” he said.
“But we know we are doing all the protocols for all the right reasons. All the social distancing stuff is there to protect us. It’s about accepting the new boundaries. It’s really important to be diligent.
“To be fair, it’s been fantastic here. They’ve been going at the right pace and ticking the right boxes. “It’s great to be back in a game week. I think we are in a good place.
“The boys that have come in have been fantastic, full of energy, full of excitement. I am really excited about this Dragons set-up.
“The Bristol game is a superb challenge for us,” he added.
“They are bigger Galacticos than the Ospreys were a few years ago. Some of that team is just unbelievable.
“The challenge of going up against one of the top English clubs is always good.
“It does put competition in our squad because everybody wants to play in that game. It’s good for us as a group.”
You can train all you like, you can do all the running you like, but there’s no substitute for going from scrum to ruck, scrum to ruck, maybe a couple of mauls in the middle and then getting smoked...
