Boss Dean Ryan has praised the impact of in-form front row ace Lloyd Fairbrother – as he prepares for a potential front row selection poser this weekend.
Fairbrother produced another high quality display in the Guinness PRO14 victory over Glasgow Warriors at Principality Stadium and went the full 80-minutes alongside hooker Richarsd Hibbard.
Dragons now host Edinburgh on Sunday (kick-off 2pm) with the aim of overtaking fourth-placed Glasgow in Conference A to potentially qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.
And Ryan could now have an interesting selection call with Wales duo Leon Brown and Elliot Dee potentially back in the mix.
“Lloyd is coming into his own,” said director of rugby Dean Ryan, talking about the popular tighthead who recently signed a new long-term deal with the region.
“He is able to hold a scrum and create pressure, but his work rate and ability to get off the line and make tackles has also really grown.
“Lloyd is becoming a mainstay in the side. Leon has made a big impact away with Wales so him coming back and that being a combination is really positive for us.”
Ryan has also highlighted the mature display of young back row Ben Fry.
The Dragons Academy product was an early replacement for Ollie Griffiths and was soon yellow carded in the Welsh capital.
But he returned to produce a both abrasive and controlled show to help Dragons complete the league double over the Warriors this season.
“Ben showed a good level of maturity after being yellow-carded because then that's a long old stretch with no other back rowers,” said Ryan.
“We couldn't make a change to take him out of the heat and he had to stay physical.
“It would have been another lesson for him about playing at the highest level and how he needs to manage himself, so credit to him.”
He is able to hold a scrum and create pressure, but his work rate and ability to get off the line and make tackles has also really grown...
