Back in 2011 he was a rookie openside who had just come out of his first full season with the Ospreys. Four years on and he is a British & Irish Lions Test player with 31 Welsh caps behind him.
But with Warren Gatland set to cut up to 10 players from his original 47-man training squad after this weekend’s warm-up clash with Ireland in Cardiff the pressure is about to mount even further on a group of Welsh players who have been pushed to greater limits than ever before in their preparation for the World Cup.
“I did all the training camps in 2011, but didn’t make the final cut. I had just come through my first season and to make the training camp was something I didn’t think would happen, so to be included was something special,” said Tipuric.
“But when you are in the training squad you want to be part of the World Cup proper and it was a bit disappointing to miss out in the end. Doing all the training over the past few weeks brought back just how hard it all was.
“Watching a World Cup back home isn’t great, but the whole experience is something I’ve learned from. I was still quite young and players like Martyn Williams, Andy Powell and Ryan Jones were still there.
“The training has been harder than it was in 2011. I’m not going to lie, it’s been tough – without doubt the toughest training I’ve ever experienced.
“But that’s what you expect when you are preparing to go to a World Cup. You don’t expect it to be easy.
“The quality of the players in the squad is high again and everything is tough. We were fit in 2011, but you want to be fitter again so you have to push it further. Qatar, with the heat, and Switzerland, with the altitude, offered different kinds of things that we weren’t used to.”
The Ospreys flanker was one of the candidates to lead Wales out in their new World Cup kit at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday in the first of three warm-up Tests. Having to live in the shadow of the skipper, Sam Warburton, is difficult, but Tipuric, who turns 26 on Thursday, is not complaining.
“Playing at the World Cup is something that every rugby player dreams – you want to be involved, experience it and see what it’s all about. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, perhaps because of injuries or selections, but it’s obviously what every player wants,” added Tipuric.
“For me, the first goal is to get into the World Cup squad, which is something I haven’t experienced before. It’s something I want to be able to say that I’ve done, but it’s not going to be easy given the quality of back rowers we have here.
“All I’m thinking about at the minute is getting into the squad, although I’d definitely relish being in the side on Saturday. It looks like it’s going to be a sell-out, so it would be great to go up against an Ireland team in front of a big crowd.
“No matter what mix of players Ireland put out, you know it is going to be a good team – and playing in front of the Millennium Stadium crowd is always going to be something to enjoy.
“It’ll be a bit different playing a Test at the beginning of August, but we’ve been in pre-season a while now and so the attention can now turn to the rugby. Sometimes there’s a bit of rustiness in pre-season games, which is to be expected, but it’s about keeping up with the pace because match-fitness is totally different from just running all the time.”
