TIGHT head prop Nathan Buck has come up on the blind side - from two years on the sidelines with his career in jeopardy to becoming a Dragons regular.
And it's all the more rewarding for the 22-year-old as a comparatively rare specimen, Gwent born and bred, and even more rare as an Abergavenny product who has made his way in professional rugby.
It didn't look like that when the strapping front row forward spent two years out of action nursing a serious injury to his right knee, having to undergo no fewer than three operations and even contemplating a career outside rugby altogether.
He damaged the knee Down Under after fellow Gwent forward Tony Rees, the ex-Cardiff lock who hails from Chepstow, encouraged him to make the trip and have a spell with the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
That was after two seasons with Cross Keys which marked him out as a player of some promise. "I played in Australia for two months, but then I dislocated my knee and chipped two bones," Buck recalled ruefully. "That put me out for nine or ten months, but I needed a second operation then a third and altogether I was out for 25 months.
"I finally got back for pre-season last year and I was expecting to resume for Cross Keys, but I got a chance with the Dragons early because of injuries to Ben Castle and Nigel Hall (both of whom have been forced to retire from the game).
"I was thrown in at the deep end (in the away fixture against Connacht), but it's gone pretty well and I've learnt so much," he added. In fact it's been so successful that Buck has played no fewer than 24 times for the Dragons, putting him fourth in the appearance list this season.
"I've learnt so much playing in all these games and I've come up against some very good loose heads like Gethin Jenkins who was brilliant in the Six Nations. He's played in three Grand Slam winning Welsh teams, but our scrum went pretty well against the Blues," said Nathan.
It's all a far cry from the days when he was playing age grade rugby for Abergavenny under 8s right through to the under 15s when he was a second row or No 8. He was brought up at Gilwern and went to Brynmawr Comprehensive School, but he made the transition easily to the Pontypool United Youth team where he moved up to prop, on either side of the scrum in those days, before settling at tight head.
From Pontypool United he joined Cross Keys where coach Greg Woods was also in charge of the Dragons Under-18s and he was invited to train with them. It's been onwards and upwards from there, though he's had to fight back from those setbacks with his damaged knee.
Now after a season with the Dragons he is in a position to set some targets of his own. "My aim is to play every week and to improve my game," he said. "It's nice to be able to stick with my home region, we've got a great team coming together.
"We've shown we can beat some good teams, but we need to be more consistent, we've got a promising young pack, but there's a long way to go."
The massive 21-stoner looks even further ahead when he says, "We need to get into the Heineken Cup, we definitely need to be up there, and I think we've got the playing personnel to be able to do it.
"We feel confident, training has been going well and we have gelled, everyone is buying into it. And it's brilliant playing at Rodney Parade, it's a great atmosphere and it gives you a real lift."
And it's all the more rewarding for the 22-year-old as a comparatively rare specimen, Gwent born and bred, and even more rare as an Abergavenny product who has made his way in professional rugby.
It didn't look like that when the strapping front row forward spent two years out of action nursing a serious injury to his right knee, having to undergo no fewer than three operations and even contemplating a career outside rugby altogether.
He damaged the knee Down Under after fellow Gwent forward Tony Rees, the ex-Cardiff lock who hails from Chepstow, encouraged him to make the trip and have a spell with the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
That was after two seasons with Cross Keys which marked him out as a player of some promise. "I played in Australia for two months, but then I dislocated my knee and chipped two bones," Buck recalled ruefully. "That put me out for nine or ten months, but I needed a second operation then a third and altogether I was out for 25 months.
"I finally got back for pre-season last year and I was expecting to resume for Cross Keys, but I got a chance with the Dragons early because of injuries to Ben Castle and Nigel Hall (both of whom have been forced to retire from the game).
"I was thrown in at the deep end (in the away fixture against Connacht), but it's gone pretty well and I've learnt so much," he added. In fact it's been so successful that Buck has played no fewer than 24 times for the Dragons, putting him fourth in the appearance list this season.
"I've learnt so much playing in all these games and I've come up against some very good loose heads like Gethin Jenkins who was brilliant in the Six Nations. He's played in three Grand Slam winning Welsh teams, but our scrum went pretty well against the Blues," said Nathan.
It's all a far cry from the days when he was playing age grade rugby for Abergavenny under 8s right through to the under 15s when he was a second row or No 8. He was brought up at Gilwern and went to Brynmawr Comprehensive School, but he made the transition easily to the Pontypool United Youth team where he moved up to prop, on either side of the scrum in those days, before settling at tight head.
From Pontypool United he joined Cross Keys where coach Greg Woods was also in charge of the Dragons Under-18s and he was invited to train with them. It's been onwards and upwards from there, though he's had to fight back from those setbacks with his damaged knee.
Now after a season with the Dragons he is in a position to set some targets of his own. "My aim is to play every week and to improve my game," he said. "It's nice to be able to stick with my home region, we've got a great team coming together.
"We've shown we can beat some good teams, but we need to be more consistent, we've got a promising young pack, but there's a long way to go."
The massive 21-stoner looks even further ahead when he says, "We need to get into the Heineken Cup, we definitely need to be up there, and I think we've got the playing personnel to be able to do it.
"We feel confident, training has been going well and we have gelled, everyone is buying into it. And it's brilliant playing at Rodney Parade, it's a great atmosphere and it gives you a real lift."
