Andy Rees is making the huge step up from Haywards Heath's Second XV to the Welsh World Cup squad.

The 33-year-old lock forward has been selected for his country to play in the inaugural Rugby World Championships for the Deaf.

Rees, a financial services accountant, has lived in Sussex for 22 years but hails from near Llanelli.

He has already represented Wales at swimming and played water polo before taking up the oval ball just four years ago.

Now he is really going in at the deep end as Wales take on the best in the world in this section of the sport.

He explained: "There is a range of deafness from hard of hearing to total deafness. I am deaf and cannot hear at all without a hearing aid.

"It affects my rugby in many ways. I cannot hear a sound at all and totally rely on lip-reading. People forget that I am deaf because it is is a hidden disability.

"Team talk or banter in training can be a problem as several players talk at the same time or have their backs to me when talking to a group, or even when training at night and their faces are in the shadows.

"At Haywards Heath they are usually good about that and make sure that I am told the important bits but it is never the same as hearing it all first time round or the banter going on in the changing room or training."

Rees has to rely on his intuition to work out what the calls are out on the pitch.

He admitted: "I can shout at them to pass me the ball but they cannot expect me to pass to them when they shout.

"As for the lineout calls, we have developed a system in which I can be informed of the calls otherwise I will mess up the game plan.

He added: "Sometimes I make a tackle not knowing that the whistle has already been blown. Honest, ref!

"I have found the people at Heath to be very friendly and they never allowed my deafness to be a problem for them. They work around it so it won't be too much of a problem in the game.

"It is because they are good about my deafness that I never found any reason why I should move to another club even though I moved to Hove and work in Chichester."

Even with Heath's welcoming approach, Rees admits he enjoyed teaming up with other deaf players when he joined the Welsh squad for the first time in January.

He attends training in the principality once a month and made his debut in the 52-5 thrashing of France.

That was a proud day for his father Clive, a former Heath player and a supporter of both the club and Wales.

Although France, Scotland and Canada are also taking part, Wales are the best hope for Northern Hemisphere success in Auckland.

Rees and the Welsh squad are keen to secure donations or sponsorship to help them fulfill their World Cup dream. They can be contacted via Roy Lewis, a hearing member of the fundraising committee, on 01639 850000.

Matt Riley has also taken Haywards Heath into the realms of international rugby.

The former first team winger has earned six caps for Denmark since moving to the country about a year ago.

Heath skipper Henry Goodburn said: "Although I don't think Denmark win too often it is a great experience for Matt and another shirt for us to display at the clubhouse."