The 23-year-old commented: “Since being named in the squad I’ve had a bit of a monkey on my back and really wanted to get off the mark with a cap and achieve my ultimate goal,”
“I sat down at the start of the season and set some short, medium and long-term goals. One of the long-term goals was to get capped for Wales.
“I’ve done that now and it’s a massive achievement but I’ve always found that when you hit a goal you always then set one higher. I just want to get as much game time as I can.
The home-grown talent earned his chance through a fantastic start to the season with two Man of the Match performances under his belt, and he is determined to keep impressing not only the Region’s coaches but the Welsh coaches too. “Warren Gatland had a word with me on Saturday morning to calm me down and bit and give me a bit of reassurance, saying to just go out and do what I’ve done for the Dragons by bringing energy and work rate,” he said.
“It was nice to have a few words for him before setting off and that gave me a load of confidence.
“The bus ride in almost brought a tear to my eye and singing the anthem was one of the proudest moments of my life. It was an amazing day for me.
“It was brilliant to get it at Principality Stadium, I don’t think there is a better arena to get a first international cap.
“I wasn’t involved against Australia and watching the other boys get their caps I was wondering if I’d get my chance, it was brilliant when I heard my name to go on.”
Dee will spend the next fortnight grafting hard to try and earn a shot at the All Blacks and Springboks and then he will return to the Dragons keen to build on his excellent start to the campaign.
“I’ve been given a bit of a senior role with the Dragons this year and feel that the confidence [head coach] Bernard Jackman has put in me has made me up my game,” said the hooker.
“Being involved in this is another level up and now I want to go back, keep playing well and hopefully this experience will rub off on some of the younger boys as well.”
