THE secret is out about Newport Gwent Dragons prospect Ollie Griffiths after his exploits for Wales Under-20s in the Six Nations.

His stunning performance on national television against Ireland, hot on the heels of fine displays against England, Scotland and France, will certainly lead to expectation that the 19-year-old from Newbridge is involved in the region’s first team squad next season.

Yet, as I have written before, the Dragons are spoilt for choice at openside flanker with Nic Cudd having another magnificent campaign while James Benjamin and Scott Matthews, who kept Griffiths out of the Under-20s XV last season, have done well when given a chance.

Tough decisions lie ahead and those making big calls would profit from the introduction of more regional A games to provide them with more evidence.

The gap between pro rugby and the Principality Premiership remains a large one and it would be good to see the likes of Griffiths, Benjamin, Matthews, prop Luke Garrett, fly-half Angus O’ Brien, wing Ashton Hewitt and even more senior figures such as lock Matthew Screech, hooker Rhys Buckley and tighthead David Young put into action in testing encounters, ideally against English opposition.

The British and Irish Cup descended into farce this season when too many players were parachuted into the Cross Keys side. While they undoubtedly strived to do the Pandy Park jersey proud it was a bonkers situation that led to too many club regulars watching from the sidelines.

It was a state of affairs prompted by there being limited chances for Lyn Jones and his Dragons management team to have a glimpse of talent coming through.

They wanted to grasp the chance to see their charges up against Cornish Pirates, Doncaster and Bedford and that is because at times the Principality Premiership doesn’t hit the spot.

There are some cracking encounters in the top flight of club rugby but it is a league that suffers from regional players, both academy and senior, being dropped into sides and then pulled out again with coaches not always knowing on a Thursday night who will be playing on a Saturday.

The fluctuations of performance can be huge and coaches frequently say in their pre-match previews that how their opponents will perform will be down to what Scarlets/Ospreys/Blues/Dragons players they have got.

Everybody – regional management, club coaches, fringe, academy and aspiring Premiership players – would be better served by there being more A games.