Leigh Halfpenny vows to carry on after 100th Wales cap
- Published
Leigh Halfpenny became the ninth player to win 100 caps for Wales
Leigh Halfpenny has set his sights on a third World Cup after celebrating a century of Wales caps in style with Saturday's 20-9 victory over England.
The 34-year-old described joining Wales' 100-cap club as "surreal" having doubted whether he would even win one.
Now the full-back, still without a club for next season following his release by Scarlets, has vowed to carry on.
"You never know when your last game could be, but certainly the ambition is to keep going," Halfpenny said.
He added: "You never take it for granted. Of course I would love to go to the World Cup in France, but there is so much competition in the squad and in the back-three positions."
Halfpenny became just the ninth Welshman to reach the landmark figure, joining Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, George North, Dan Biggar, Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas, Taulupe Faletau and Martyn Williams.
"It was a pretty special day for myself and my family," Halfpenny said.
"There are too many to mention, but it wouldn't have been possible without so many people supporting me throughout my career.
"I could never have dreamt of it to be honest. Winning one cap for Wales was a dream come true, and this is surreal. It hasn't really sunk in yet.
"There have certainly been some ups and downs along the way. There have been some really tough moments with injuries, times when I wasn't too sure whether I would get back on the field and play for Wales again."
Once deemed too small for professional rugby and released by Ospreys as a teenager, he has proved doubters wrong since bursting on to the scene as a 19-year-old.
Awarded his Wales debut against South Africa in 2008, he has made a considerable contribution on the Test scene and he has toured three times with the British and Irish Lions.
Ten points against England on Saturday brought him to within five of breaking the 800-mark for Wales, behind only Stephen Jones and kicking mentor Neil Jenkins.
Halfpenny may have lost a yard of pace but Wales head coach Warren Gatland still regards Halfpenny as one of the best defensive full-backs in the world and his unerring goal-kicking could be enough to secure a place at France 2023.
"The younger guys coming into the squad have been a breath of fresh air. There's a really good feel among the boys and there's a lot of competition which is great for [Wales] going forward," Halfpenny said.
Halfpenny, meanwhile, went back to his roots for the traditional post-match song he had to perform in front of Wales team-mates during his 100th cap presentation.
"It was a song called Silver Dollar. We sang it in Gorseinon Rugby Club (where Halfpenny played age-grade rugby)," he added.
"It's a favourite among my friends and the rugby club, so it's a song close to my heart.
"It felt right to sing that. It was quite a full changing room, so there were a few nerves."
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