Dean Ryan has revealed he hopes to have a number of key players declared fully fit ahead of a crunch period of upcoming Guinness PRO14 fixtures.
Dragons return to league hostilities next Friday evening (February 5) when they entertain Connacht Rugby in a rearranged fixture at Rodney Parade.
Ryan acknowledges his players are fired-up for the return after a four-week break from competitive action.
And the Director of Dragons Rugby is also confident the time away from games has allowed a number of key figures to close in on welcome comebacks.
Ryan said: “I thought, in a development sense, that the Benetton and Glasgow results and getting into Europe was going to be really good for us.
“Our internationals were back, but it just then shifted on us and it just became something different.
“We went into the derbies not with everybody available - it just shifted as an experience.
“Now we’ve got Sam (Davies) coming back, Greg Bateman should be in the mix, Rhodri (Williams) is back and Jordan (Williams) is close too.
“That starts to build the experiences and quality with the players they are.
“I’m desperate to get us back playing so the squad can keep improving and hopefully we can get some results, which keeps confidence high.”
Ryan is also hopeful that Wales back row star Ross Moriarty could soon step up his comeback hopes.
The all-action forward has been ruled out since suffering an injury to his right ankle on international duty in October.
“He’s running and it’s great to see Ross back out there,” said Ryan.
“He’s not in full training yet, but he’s just on a little bit of a longer time frame than some others.
“Ross will be back soon and I’m sure he will play a couple of games, be a standout and then be available if Wales need him.”
I’m desperate to get us back playing so the squad can keep improving and hopefully we can get some results, which keeps confidence high...
