NEWPORT Gwent Dragons head coach Kingsley Jones believes Lewis Evans is an “outstanding person to lead the region”.

Popular flanker Evans, who is gearing up for his 11th season in Dragons colours, has been named as the Men of Gwent’s new captain.

Predecessor Rhys Thomas and fellow forward Nick Crosswell will act as vice-captains.

Newport-born Evans, a familiar face at Rodney Parade for more than a decade, begins his second spell at the helm, having previously captained the side during the 2012/13 season.

Dragons chief Jones has revealed that players were invited to apply for the role of captain and 29-year-old Evans was one of eight to put their names forward.

“It’s a massive honour for a local Gwent boy like myself to be named captain of his region,” said Evans, who has made more than 175 appearances for the Welsh outfit.

“It’s something to be proud of and I am looking forward to the challenge.

“We have had some great captains over the years such as Colin Charvis, Kevin Morgan, Luke Charteris, Jason Forster and more recently Andrew Coombs and TRT (Thomas Rhys Thomas).

“I understand that I am now in this role amongst some quality players and have some big shoes to fill.”

Talking of his relationship with Jones, Evans added: “I have a good working relationship with Kingsley, which we’ve built up over the last two years.

“As a group of players we have more accountability and we must drive the policies forward, and I am happy to be that link between management and players.”

He continued: “It’s a massive positive that I have two guys in particular who are quality players and great individuals as vice-captains.”

Evans joined the Dragons as part of the academy a decade ago and played for Ebbw Vale and Newport in the Welsh Premiership before moving to regional rugby.

A consistent performer who has always played a crucial part in the Dragons’ squad, Evans also impressed on the international stage with Wales at all age group levels and the sevens team.

Jones added: “We thought that it would be a good idea to get the players to apply for the role.

“We wanted to find out how the players perceive the role and responsibilities of the captain.

“We understand that the role of captain has changed over the last 10 years and that there is an on-field aspect as well as the game understanding, in addition to this the captain needs to lead by example both on and off the field.”

Jones added: “It was a really worthwhile process as we had eight excellent applications for the role highlighting what they could bring to the leadership of the group.

“Lewis has had experience before with being named captain in 2012 and I think that he has learnt a lot over the past four to five years.

“I think that he is an outstanding person to lead the region, he understands that it is a big responsibility.

“Being in the back-row is a fantastic position to captain the team from, a loose-forward has really good knowledge of the forward play and the back play.

“Lewis is a standout in terms of his understanding of the game and he is someone we feel will bring a lot to it.

“We will work well together with the addition of Rhys and Nick, who will contribute throughout the season, and we are all looking forward to the season ahead.”