LOMU, Blanco, Campese, Pienaar. Those pulling on the Welsh jersey through the years have been put on edge by the mere mention of their names, but for members of the media yesterday the terrifying word was ‘skintight’.

To launch the new national jersey, kit manufacturers Under Armour gave the opportunity to step out on to the Millennium Stadium turf to experience the meticulous match-day preparations under Warren Gatland.

The job of representing the Argus fell to me, though it was a shame that chief sports writer Robin Davey didn’t put on his boots for the first time since William Webb Ellis sold him an outrageous dummy.

All the elements of a build-up were there, from a nutritious breakfast to the pain of an ice bath, with one exception; Shaun Edwards’ duties with Wasps meant he was not able to display his fearsome bark.

If the aim was to give a brief insight into the pressures and strains of the hours before a big game then it certainly worked.

We travelled by bus from the Brains brewery in Cardiff city centre to the stadium and the nerves were jangling – even though it amounted to little more than a light warm-up and some handling and kicking drills.

Each and every member of the Wales squad has put in an incredible amount of graft for a chance to pull on that jersey and the anxiety when weaving through the masses on matchday must be phenomenal.

Even getting off the bus and making the way up the steps to the changing room amplified the nerves and made the heart beat a bit faster. I’m not even Welsh, but it was terrific to step through the door to be greeted by a shirt with ‘Kirwan’ on the back and my name on a printed plate above my allocated space.

Well, if it’s good enough for West Midlander Colin Charvis and Buckinghamshire’s Chris Horsman then why shouldn’t a bloke from Leicester don the red jersey?

But then came the most rewarding part of the whole experience – to hear Gatland at his absorbing best.

The head coach gave a speech about how crucial it was to approach what was to come in the right manner, that it was a privilege and that everyone who puts on the national jersey has a responsibility to it.

The man who helped conjure up a Grand Slam was just addressing a bunch of overweight, unfit media layabouts (and you imagine he was only doing that because he was contractually obliged) but the intensity and pertinence of his words hammered home why he is so highly regarded.

To see him in action before a crucial Six Nations game or clash with a southern hemisphere giant would be incredible.

That was followed by the DVD that the XV who took to the field against South Africa in Pretoria in the summer had been shown before kick-off to reiterate key tactical points. We were sworn to secrecy Then it was a case of squeezing into the jersey – the man who introduced tight-fighting sporting material has a lot to answer for – and trotting out on to the much-maligned Millennium Stadium turf.

The buzz from running out to be greeted by 74,500 fans must be amazing because, and this is where I clearly differ from Craig Bellamy, it was pretty exciting to head out of the tunnel into the magnificent arena even when the stands were empty.

I’d like to think I’m in reasonably good shape (I’m running the Cardiff half marathon on Sunday) but the adrenalin and tension made the easiest of warm-up exercises with national fitness coach Mark Bennett increase the breathing.

Handling drills with Rob Howley, set-piece work with Robin McBryde, a session with the hit shields overseen by Gatland and a kicking masterclass with Neil Jenkins followed before the dreaded ice bath.

It wasn’t too strenuous, and you get the feeling that the coaching team would have loved the chance to ‘break’ some members of the press, but it was a tremendous experience and Gatland and his team were terrific.

The offer is there to return the favour and have a member of the Wales squad on the sportsdesk drinking tea, watching Sky Sports News and putting together Thursday’s junior sport, but it probably wouldn’t be wise for Gavin Henson to miss training.