A strong Dragons can only be good for Wales

THE WRU’s takeover of Newport Gwent Dragons has been all but confirmed, and I think any move that makes them a stronger region is for the good of the game in this country.

Renaming the side to just ‘the Dragons’ may prove unpopular with some, but there are much bigger issues. In Wales, we want to have four successful regions and the reality is that the Dragons have been struggling for the last few years now.

Ideally, we want them competing towards the top of the Pro12 like the Ospreys and the Scarlets and hopefully this financial investment will allow that.

There are obviously politics involved in this, and I’ll leave all that stuff to those in the boardroom. But there’s no doubt that on the pitch, the Dragons have plenty of young talent which could potentially now go to the next level.

Tyler Morgan and Hallam Amos have already played for Wales, then you’ve got young guys coming through like Ollie Griffiths, Ashton Hewitt and Harrison Keddie. They’re all potential internationals. If this takeover can help them develop, then so much the better.

I think we’ve already seen the WRU’s impact at the Dragons with their signings of Gavin Henson and Zane Kirchner. Both can have a big impact. I spoke the other week about Gav and said he shouldn’t be recalled by Wales, but that’s not to say he won’t be a huge asset in the Pro12.

I’ve spoken to people at Bristol who have been really impressed by him. He’s matured, and he’s always been, in my eyes, the most gifted player I played with. He is such a hard worker in training, too, and however old you get, you never lose that.

He’ll be a massive influence there on and off the field and I’m looking forward to seeing him in action.