Scott Baldwin was one of the players who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season and after enjoying PRO12 Final success in Dublin at the end of May the Bridgend product is aiming to build on the progress he's made since the turn of the year as he looks to cement his place in the matchday squad during the coming campaign.
With his pre-season now well underway the hooker, who turned 24 earlier this month, says he can’t wait to get back in to action.
“I’m looking forward to the start of the new season more than I ever have” said Baldwin.
“The way things went for me personally at the end of last season means that I’m excited about how I can progress and about what we can do together as a group of players.
“The coaches showed a lot of faith in me during the closing weeks of the season and it’s important that I keep working hard to repay them for that faith.”
The former Brynteg Comprehensive School pupil won his first Ospreys contract in January 2009 as a 20-year old after impressing in the Welsh Premiership with his hometown club. Although he made his regional debut later that season he struggled to force his way through into first team contention and by the start of 2011/12 had just three appearances to his credit.
However, following a period in Italy where he played on loan for the Ospreys partner club ASR Milano in Serie A1, a move designed to allow him to develop his personal skills on and off the field, he returned to Ospreylia early in 2012 eager to make up for lost time. The ‘new’ Baldwin went on to feature regularly for the region in the latter part of last season, and he is quick to highlight his Italian experience as key. He explained:
“It was really good for me to get that experience in Italy. Rugby has always been a massive part of my life but to go out there and realise that there are other things that are as important if not more, was important for me. It was great to go over there and focus on my development, not just on the field but off it as well.
“I’ve lived at home all my life until that trip so to be away from everyone in a new environment and having to go out and meet people and try and learn the language, it was a great experience. I think I changed a lot as a person for that experience, and when I came back I was probably more mature and able to understand how the things I did way from the pitch could help me on it.
“I played a lot more rugby for the Ospreys when I came back from Italy than I could have hoped for which was great. I was able to start in the two LV= Cup games and I think they went well for me. By working hard I was fortunate to be involved regularly between then and the end of the season and that was a massive boost of confidence for me.”
Undoubtedly the high point for Baldwin was his involvement in the nailbiting win over Leinster in the PRO12 Final in Dublin. With the Ospreys trailing by just a score but with time running out, Head Coach Steve Tandy summoned Baldwin off the bench and threw him into the action, an act of faith that meant the world to an up and coming player.
“It shows the faith that the coaches have in the young players here” Baldwin insisted.
“To be sent on with 10 minutes to go in the final was massive for me, it really was. I’ve been here a few years now looking to push myself forward and it’s taken a bit of time. We were losing in the final stages in Dublin so to be able to say that I was thrown on not just to help close the game out but to actually help us win that game is brilliant for me. If I can’t take belief out of that I never will.
“It was a strange experience, I probably didn’t feel under the pressure that I normally have going on. Steve just told me to go on and make an impact, so I just tried to do my role, to not get too emotional or excited about it, and just do my job. After Shane went over in the corner and Biggs scored the kick it was a very long two minutes before we eventually managed to get the ball off the field. I can’t describe the feelings - it was immense.”
The challenge facing Baldwin now is to keep the upward curve going and put pressure on Welsh international Richard Hibbard for the number two jersey, and having tasted senior rugby with the Ospreys he knows what he needs to do if he wants more:
“Hopefully I can maintain the standard and keep pushing for a place in the team. I want to be in the squad week-in, week-out, and to get more experience. There are good young hookers coming through who have been part of the group in pre-season and I can see that if I let my standards drop then I’ll be under pressure.
“It’s about me now. I’ve got to stay focused on myself and my job, keep doing what I can do and do it well, and not worry about anyone else. I have to just worry about how I can control my own game and my own areas of responsibility. That’s what Steve has been saying since I came back from Italy, telling us just to focus on what we can control ourselves. We can’t influence what anyone else is doing, on or off the field, so you have to focus on your own individual role within a team environment and keep working hard.”