That boost comes after the shock announcement last week that the former Neath skipper was being transfer listed by the regional side, though he was remaining tight-lipped over his alleged bust up with coach Lyn Jones.
“The situation at the Neath-Swansea Ospreys has been well documented and to be honest I don’t really want to go into the details any further,” said Llewellyn. “The club made the decision to put me on the transfer list and that’s that, I will deal with it later.”
Llewellyn and Jones, who have worked closely together for years at Neath, are said to have clashed over the latter’s coaching methods in the wake of the Osprey’s tenth successive defeat. That row, after the loss at Edinburgh, ended with Llewellyn and fellow forward, Gavin Thomas, being shown the door.
Llewellyn, only three caps behind Neil Jenkins’s all time record, insists his only concern is bringing success for Wales at the RBS Six Nations Championship.
“In some ways the RBS Six Nations is a bit of a welcome distraction from what’s gone on at the Ospreys as I have really enjoyed meeting back up with the (Wales) Squad,” said Llewellyn. “Right now I’m just focused on what’s ahead of me as I have a responsibility to be switched on to what’s happening with Wales and this weekend.”
Evergreen Llewellyn, who turns 35 later this month, will equal Jenkins’s record of appearances for Wales if he plays against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium this Saturday. Even after an amazing fifteen years in international rugby he admitted he was still as hungry as ever.
“I got quite nervous when we all met up again for the first time since the Rugby World Cup, I actually had butterflies,” he said. “I suppose that’s a good thing as it would be unfair to stay if I was just here for the ride. As the week progresses you get more settled but I still always get pre-match nerves. That’s only natural.”
