THE Dragons have a battle for the 15 jersey between Angus O’Brien and Cai Evans but a young prospect has been backed to join the selection debate with the help of Super Rygbi Cymru.
O’Brien and Evans are the contenders for the start at full-back in the Rodney Parade club’s United Rugby Championship opener, with Jordan Williams another option for the coming campaign.
However, Huw Anderson featured for the Dragons in pre-season and continued to catch the eye.
The promising prospect, who had played in the Premiership for Pontypool, was released from Wales duty in the Under-20s Six Nations in March to make his professional debut off the bench against Ulster in Belfast.
His development was set to continue at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa but after scoring in the opener against New Zealand, Anderson was struck down by a worrying bug.
“I was gutted for Huw when he suffered the illness because he was on target to have an outstanding World Cup,” said Wales Under-20s head coach Richard Whiffin.
“It was a pretty bad illness and he was in hospital for five days out there. He wasn’t eating and lost a lot of weight but luckily he got through it and came back to the hotel for a couple of days before saying his goodbyes.
“I was at the Dragons against Hartpury in August and it was great to see him make another appearance. It’s pleasing that he has been able to put that illness behind him and show the player that I certainly know he is.
“Young players in speed positions potentially have more opportunities to make the step up earlier but you still have to be talented. Huw will play URC this season, I would put money on that.”
Anderson, who has passed out of the Under-20s cohort, is part of a group of prospects that will hone their skills in the SRC with Pooler, Newport and Ebbw Vale.
“The fact that they will get regular game time up until November and December gives us as Wales Under-20s selectors a great opportunity to see who is up to the challenge and for those that are no longer with the 20s to get more game time as they find their feet in senior rugby,” said Whiffin.
The Wales coach also pointed to Owen Conquer as an example for those who are not on the books of the pro clubs.
“His performances for Ebbw Vale got him a shot at Under-20s, then his performances for the Under-20s got him a route to being a professional rugby player,” said Whiffin.
“That’s what the tournament will hopefully provide, an opportunity for guys to impress because there is only a limited amount of funds for academies to contract at a certain age and it takes some players longer to come through.
“This is a great vehicle for them to still be seen because selectors will be out every week watching games.”
Pontypool and Newport head west on Saturday afternoon when taking on Bridgend and Swansea respectively.
Pooler start a new era after the midweek announcement that head coach Leighton Jones had stepped down after eight years in the hotseat.
Backs coach Tom Hancock is holding the reins at the Brewery Field as the Gwent side aim to build on an encouraging performance in a 21-18 defeat against Premiership champions Llandovery.
Pooler turned down the chance to draw against the Drovers when kicking a penalty to the corner but came up agonisingly short of a statement win.
Newport, runners-up last season, started impressively against Bridgend when becoming the first club to claim a six-point haul under the new SRC bonus point system.
The Black and Ambers crossed six times when winning 41-22, with the victory gap of 15 points or more now earning an extra point in the top tier.
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