NEWPORT Gwent Dragons coach Paul Turner is facing a real problem over the next few weeks - what does he do about Colin Charvis?

The intention over the summer period was to use Charvis in a coaching role, Turner expecting him to play little part on the field but anxious to retain him and use his expertise on the coaching front even if he had no experience or qualifications on that front.

And that is how the season started, Charvis officially appointed defence coach and fulfiling that role a couple of times a week with the Dragons while he contemplated his future.

He had also taken on another role last season, that of summariser for the BBC during the Six Nations, a role he was eminently qualified for given that he is Wales’ most capped forward and the world’s joint leading try scorer for a forward.

So that was also something to consider as he tried to plot his future. But for the moment at least he intended giving coaching a shot while Turner also retained him as a player and he was even registered for Europe.

A slight complication was a minor knee injury which prevented him from playing anyway. When he had recovered an ideal opportunity for him to resume playing presented itself when Newcastle were due at Rodney Parade in the EDF Energy Cup.

Charvis is a former Newcastle captain and spent two years there, so his return was timely and he was included on the bench with the idea of putting him on during the second half.

He had his chance in the 53rd minute and he took it big time, forcing a turnover and creating a try for young scrum half Tom Isaacs.

Though now 35 Charvis showed he has lost little of his expertise and, indeed, presented an unanswerable case for inclusion for the Dragons’ opening Heineken Cup clash against Glasgow.

Again, he had a tremendous game, capped when he scored one of the Dragons’ three tries, powering over the line from short range.

All plain sailing for a regular place once more? Not really because Turner has already said he can’t really hold back young back row players of the calibre of Lewis Evans, Dan Lydiate and James Harris when he is fit again.

Charvis for his part says he’s a player rather than a coach, so cue Turner’s dilemma. His answer probably lies in a mix and match situation, play him sometimes while not neglecting the younger players and continue to use him in his role as defence coach.

Charvis himself has some serious thinking to do. He can clearly still hack it at this level, he’s said himself he is not a natural coach, while he would probably like to further his media opportunities though that would cast him in a poacher turned gamekeeper situation.

For he has never hidden his dislike of or lack of respect for the media, believing that unless they’ve been there and done it they can’t really know rugby’s intricacies.

That’s Colin Charvis for you - a complicated mix, but still of considerable value to the Dragons. In what role? That is the question.