In Bristol they call him 'The Saviour.'
Now Bears fly-half Callum Sheedy is chomping at the bit to get a chance to prove to the Welsh public he is the man to change the nation’s rugby fortunes as well.
Sheedy's nickname back across the Severn was earned in 2016 when he took his big moment with aplomb, stepping up as an injury replacement to kick 22 vital points in the Championship play-off final to take Bristol back into the top tier of English rugby after seven years adrift.
Now, more than four years later having become one of the best fly-halves in the Gallagher Premiership, there is a groundswell of popular opinion that the diminutive Cardiff-born number 10 is the man to get Wales’ backline firing again having lost five games on the bounce.
Ahead of 25-year-old uncapped Sheedy in the pecking order at Wales is Northampton Saints’ Dan Biggar and Rhys Patchall - however the Scarlets playmaker must surely be looking over his shoulder slightly worried at the form of the his rival from Bristol.
Head coach Wayne Pivac handed Sheedy his first senior call-up this autumn, bringing the key Bears leader into the international set-up to prepare for the Autumn Nations Cup along with 19-year-old club-mate Ioan Lloyd with the pair having lifted the European Challenge Cup last month.
With Sheedy also qualified to play for Ireland through his father, and England through residency, there is also a sense of needing to lock the talented fly-half down with the fly-half running out for England in an uncapped game against the Barbarians in 2019.
While Sheedy's teenage club mate Lloyd almost speaks in wonderment at the experience of training alongside the best in Wales - "I am loving being out on the pitch and playing with all these players. It has been amazing,' he said with a grin ear to ear; in contrast Sheedy’s excited and confident tone is that of a man who is ready to answer his nation's call right now.
He said: “It is almost like teasing to train and then not play, but I am just trying to learn as much as I can in terms of the calls and the game plan and hopefully if I get the chance I will be up to speed and can perform well.”
That chance could come as soon as Friday night when Wales travel to Dublin to take on Ireland in the opening game of this new tournament. And if not this weekend, then surely eight days later against Georgia.
Sheedy said training day-in, day-out under Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam at club level has been near perfect preparation for entering the international set-up.
Discussing his experience so far, Sheedy said: “It has been brilliant. The boys have been unbelievable, they have welcomed me really well.
“Just getting into the international set-up is obviously a step up from club level so I am just trying to get used to that as quickly as I can, learn all the new calls and fit in the best I can.
“Everything is a little bit quicker, you are under a bit more pressure, have to try and execute your skill faster. It is the pressure we put on each other and the coaches put on you.
“I am fortunate at Bristol that we train at a high level and Pat [Lam] demands a lot from us there. It is not too dissimilar to that, but the pressure from the defence is a lot quicker so being able to execute those skills under pressure is a work on.”
Sheedy’s chance when it comes will be earned, it will not be handed to him by another's misfortune, with Biggar recovering from the lower back issue which saw him withdraw early from the defeat to Scotland in the final game of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations just over a week ago.
All eyes now are on the midweek team announcement.
