Dragons to look at SRC stars in friendly against Scarlets

The Rodney Parade club’s senior squad have a break from action in the United Rugby Championship but a fixtures have been lined up to fill the gap.

The Scarlets head to Newport on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm) while another encounter has been pencilled in away to the Ospreys next weekend.

The Dragons will field a mixture of first-teamers who need game time, academy prospects and also promising players from SRC, which also has a break for the autumn internationals.

Newport speedster and former Wales sevens international Lloyd Lewis and Pontypool centre Joel Mahoney are among those who are poised to feature, with the chance to catch the eye of the senior coaching staff.

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The Dragons previously plucked the likes of Lloyd Burns, Andrew Coombs, Nic Cudd, Mike Poole and Darren Waters from the Premiership.

SRC now falls under the control of the professional game and the long-term hope is that more players will make the step up.

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“It’s good for players to get a reward for their outstanding performances in the SRC, which is really important for development,” said academy coach and Pooler boss Tom Hancock, who is in charge for Saturday’s game.

“Some might have aspirations of getting back into the full-time game while others might just enjoy the experience of preparing as a professional for a couple of weeks.

“There were loads of players who excelled at Premiership level and went on to become full-time. The SRC is now being governed by the pro game so there should 100 per cent be movement both up and down if it’s fit for purpose.

“It’s really good to see boys who have been regularly playing well in the SRC get their opportunities.”

Some players with plenty of URC appearances to their name will also be looking to give interim head coach Filo Tiatia a nudge ahead of the November 30 trip to the Arms Park.

CHALLENGE: Academy coach Tom Hancock is in charge of the Dragons against the Scarlets (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)

“There are some senior pros who need game time to stake a claim for the next round of the URC at Cardiff after the break,” said Hancock.

“There are also senior academy boys getting a first taste of preparing full-time throughout a week for the Dragons rather than age-grade or SRC, having the full service with the professional off-field support.

“They have an opportunity to play alongside some senior pros and that is good for development. Look at the second-row pairing of Joe Davies and Nick Thomas, two players at different ends of the spectrum who will both get a lot out of it.

“The purpose is to bridge the gap and it’s definitely a steep learning curve for some of them with the level of detail and the clarity that we want in terms of the understanding of their roles.

“The game will stress them as well. I have spoken to the Scarlets coaches and we all want it to be a high-level game and a challenging environment for both sets of players.”