"Drink it in" – Wales' Dewi Lake urges young guns to savour 'Judgement Day' as Ospreys return to Principality Stadium
04/16/2025 12:00 PM
As Judgement Day returns to the Principality Stadium this weekend, Ospreys and Wales hooker Dewi Lake has one clear message for any young players making their debut on the iconic turf; soak it all up.
Lake, who has 20 caps for Wales, will lead the Ospreys into Saturday's crucial United Rugby Championship clash with Cardiff Rugby, in the first game of the derby double-header (3pm KO). Later, Scarlets take on Dragons RFC (5.30pm), with all four Welsh regions facing off in a day that could have a huge bearing on the race for the URC play-offs.
For many younger or less-experienced players, it will be their first taste of the world-famous stadium — and Lake is urging them not to let the moment pass them by.
“Just drink it in. That's the advice I try to tell myself now when I get to step out onto the field," said Lake. Take it all in because it can quickly overwhelm you and be one of those moments you don't appreciate for what it is.
"When you step onto the field, you are going out there to do a job and you are in a certain zone, so that moment can pass you by. My advice would definitely be to have a look around, take in the atmosphere and the occasion and understand what is going on.
"You are playing at a stadium that not many get to play at. It's the home of Welsh rugby that has been talked about and discussed for years as the best stadium on earth. So I think a big point is just around enjoying it."
Lake made his own Principality debut in the 2022 Six Nations against Scotland and remembers being struck by the magnitude of the colossal Cardiff cathedral.
"It was probably the scale of it that struck me. To see that many people in an enclosed space, watching what you are producing and hoping the best for you to perform is quite a unique thing.
"It's not necessarily the noise because sometimes when you are on the field you can be zoned out to some of it.
"I have said to my parents 'Was the anthem loud?' because when you are shoulder to shoulder with the guy in the jersey all you can hear is them screaming!"
This season hasn't been smooth sailing for the Bridgend-born forward. A torn bicep tendon suffered in training last December threatened to rule him out of a third consecutive Six Nations, but thanks to a swift recovery, he featured in the final two rounds of the tournament.
"I was just doing run of the mill stuff in training," he explained. "I kind of left the arm out there and an elbow hit it and ruptured the tendon. The bicep had shortened straight away, so I knew. It was quite an obvious thing.
"I'm not the first to get injured and I won't be the last. It is just part of the game we play. I have got a bit of regret with the timings. I seem to keep getting injured just when the Six Nations is coming up. It's happened the last three in a row.
"The thankful thing is I was able to get back to play in a couple of games with some unbelievable work done by physios. There is plenty in the tank and the appetite is there after missing quite a big chunk of rugby."
Now back fit and firing, Lake is preparing for what could be a pivotal clash in the URC play-off hunt. The Ospreys sit just behind Cardiff in the table, with both teams battling to break into the top eight.
"They are a class outfit with dangerous individuals," Lake said of their opponents. There is a reason they are pushing for the top eight, as well as us, and that's because they are a good team with some major threats. So we know they are going to be a challenge. It’s knock-out rugby.”
With Judgement Day returning to its spiritual home and so much on the line, it promises to be a blockbuster Saturday for Welsh rugby, and Lake is ready to lead his young Ospreys from the front.
Quotes provided by URC Media
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