Heineken brings added heat says Williams

Williams was the Blues' match winner in Friday's narrow victory over 14-man London Irish as the Welsh capital outfit made it two from two this term thanks to his second-half try at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The 22-year-old made his first tournament start in the impressive win at Racing Metro in Round 1 and has already noticed just how demanding Europe's premier club competition can be.

"The Heineken Cup is definitely a step up," said Williams, who has taken over from Richie Rees as the Blues' first-choice No9.

"It's as close to Test-match rugby as you can get. It's very intense and it all heats up for the Heineken Cup.

"The teams that are in the competition are all very strong teams so it's very, very competitive. It's great to be able to go up against teams from England like London Irish because we don't often get a chance to do that.

"The Heineken Cup is on a bigger scale and you're playing to a wider audience. The world's watching and we really want to do well."

The Blues are certainly doing well so far as they look to make up for last season's early exit from a group that included eventual finalists Northampton Saints.

A 26-20 triumph on the outskirts of Paris was followed by a battling home win against the Exiles, with a December double header with Edinburgh next on the cards.

The Scottish side currently sit a point clear at the top of Pool 2 following their sensational comeback against Racing at Murrayfield but the Blues won both Heineken Cup encounters between the two last term.

"That will be a difficult couple of weeks," added Williams.

"They've done really well, too, in their first games. They're going to want to sustain the momentum they've created in the first two weeks and so are we.

"I wouldn't say knowing them so well will make it harder. We obviously play them twice a year in the RaboDirect and we've played them in the Heineken Cup as well recently but it's the same for both of us.

"It'll be a tough period but we're willing to put the preparation in to get the two wins."

The Blues aren't the only Welsh side to have won both pool game so far this season, with the Scarlets matching that achievement in the Heineken Cup and the Dragons doing the same in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

And with the Ospreys also unbeaten in Europe thanks to a win and a draw, Welsh rugby seems to riding a huge wave of confidence at the moment.

A semi-final showing at the recent World Cup has left the entire nation in high spirits and Williams, who was a surprise inclusion in Warren Gatland's 30-man squad for the global gathering in New Zealand, believes the atmosphere within the Blues set up mirrors the positive vibe with Wales.

"I'd like to think there's still a feel-good factor from the World Cup. It was a great campaign for Wales and it's boosted the confidence of everyone involved. It's now good to see the Welsh teams getting wins all over the shop because that boosts the profile of rugby here.

"There's a great atmosphere in training with the Blues at the moment with Justin (Burnell) and Gareth (Baber) in charge. Everyone's really happy going to training every day and we've got a feel-good factor here, too. We're taking that into games and performing."

It's been an incredible 12 months for Williams, who had just gone under the knife to cure a shoulder problem this time last year.

Few outside of the Principality had heard of the youngster prior to the World Cup warm-up Tests but now the son of 1977 Lions tourist Brynmor is becoming a household name as he looks set to start for Wales against Australia the week after next.

"I guess I have to pinch myself. I didn't really expect anything like this at this time last year, especially as I was undergoing surgery on my shoulder. A year ago, I was in a sling and wasn't involved in training at all.

"I worked as hard as I could to make things happen and I'm just really happy with how things are working out.

"Being involved with Wales is something special. It's every player's dream to start for Wales so I'd love it if that came about against the Wallabies."