Scrum-half Tom Bliss admits he needs to prove he is not a one-trick pony if he wants to make the most of his LV= Cup chance with Wasps.

Bliss, who captained the first team at Epsom College, caught the eye of Wasps academy manager Matt Davies when he skippered the USA U20s at last summers’ IRB Junior World Championships.

The 21-year-old has quickly made an impression at Wasps, making A League appearances against Harlequins, London Irish and Bath, as well tasting first-team action in pre-season. 

But to cut it at the top level, Bliss knows he must show he can digest the information required to excel at top-flight rugby when Wasps start their LV= Cup campaign away to Sale Sharks this weekend.

“You can’t be a one dimensional player here, particularly as a scrum-half I need to assess varying factors and all sorts of different plays and patterns going on at once,” said Bliss.

“The LV= Cup is hugely important to me because it’s a great stage, it’s a great stepping stone for future international players so I can’t wait to get out there and hopefully show them what I can do.

“It stands as a good platform to show your skills and show that you can mix it with the top players in England.

“To be involved with some experienced first team players and the coaches, credit to them, they bring in a lot of the younger players and trust them and give them the chance to mix it with the first-team boys.”

Wasps will have to negotiate Sale, London Irish, Cardiff Blues and last year’s finalists, Northampton Saints, to reach this year’s LV= Cup knockout stages.

But New York-born scrum-half Bliss admits he is relishing the challenge as he picks up the tips from first-team number nine Joe Simpson.

“He has taken me under his wing a bit, I do lots of passing and kicking with him and obviously what he is very good at is he is very consistent so that’s something I need to improve on to get up to near his level,” he added.

“Now all my energy and focus is solely on rugby which stands me in good stead because I can focus my weak points versus my strong points and have a bit more of a grasp of what I need to improve on.”

And Bliss has his sights firmly set on booking a first-team place by the end of the season before thinking about where his international allegiance lies.

Bliss added: “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I want to break into the first team here, I am only an Academy player at the moment and the goal for the end of the season is to get a first team contract.

“Whilst it’s nice to contemplate and talk about future representative rugby my sole focus and goal is to get into the Wasps first team and I am putting all my energy into that.”

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Round 1 of the LV= Cup starts this weekend Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 November. For more information visit lv.com/rugby