Ollie Griffiths was delighted to make his comeback in the clash with Vodacom Bulls – and has vowed to now take the pressure off himself as he returns.
Dynamic back row Griffiths made his first appearance of the season as he featured in the opening half of the BKT United Rugby Championship encounter at Rodney Parade.
The 27-year-old from Newbridge later revealed his withdrawal at half-time was pre-planned with Head Coach Dai Flanagan.
And after an injury-hit campaign, Griffiths is now determined to pace his comeback to ensure he hits top form in the coming weeks.
“It was nice to be back. I’m glad the first one was at Rodney Parade,” he said.
“It was always the plan to come off around 40 minutes. I’ve made the mistake in the past, come back a little too early and straight into a full 80 minutes.
“I do put a lot of pressure on myself, I think everyone is expecting me to come back and hit form straight away.
“I need to take that pressure off, just get back playing and if it takes one or two games to hit form then that’s fine.
“Just taking a smart approach, not rushing for a perfect 40 minutes.
“I was a bit rusty, probably a few mistakes, but I’m sure that rugby sharpness will come soon.
“My focus is on playing well for Dragons and getting a starting position in the back row. You look at the quality across the board, there is a lot of competition, so you need to train well and play well.”
Griffiths admitted there was a sense of disappointment in the camp after the defeat to Bulls, but he remains convinced the squad is on the right track and making positive strides.
“I don’t want to sound cliché because I know fans have probably heard us say it, but we’re not far away, a lot of these games have literally been settled in the last minute,” he said.
“I’ve never been so confident in what we’re doing; you can see our performance is improving.
“We’re getting closer, competing with teams, beating the likes of Munster at home, Ospreys at home, one point loss against Sharks.
“I’m confident in what we’re doing, but sooner or later we do need to start winning games like Pau and Cardiff.
“The Scarlets game was disappointing, the worst example of ourselves, but we fronted up against Bulls who are a top team.
“The way we’ve performed at the start of the season at home, the way we’ve turned up the energy, has made me proud of being a Dragon,” he added.
“The big thing for us is consistency in our performances and to then start winning games.”
My focus is on playing well for Dragons and getting a starting position in the back row... You look at the quality across the board, there is a lot of competition, so you need to train well and play well...
