THE clamour to proclaim Harrison Keddie as a readymade replacement for Taulupe Faletau was taking place long before the final whistle at Colwyn Bay signalled Wales Under-20s’ Grand Slam.

The 19-year-old from Llanvaches was magnificent for Jason Strange’s side and is undoubtedly a player of great promise who I am sure will make his Newport Gwent Dragons debut at some stage in 2016, whether with a cameo at the end of the current campaign or at the start of next.

But it will take some time yet before Keddie is ready to don 8 on a regular basis at Rodney Parade; regional chiefs must (and will) plan for the long-term rather than looking to the short-term.

Keddie was mightily impressive for the Under-20s, carrying with dynamism and power plus tackling with gusto, but he was up against young men.

When he tussled with Lansdowne’s Max Deegan in Ireland on opening weekend the Dragons were locking horns with vastly-experienced Roger Wilson and gigantic frame of Nick Williams at Ulster.

He locked horns with Scotland and Watsonians’ Ally Miller (listed weight of just 103kg) the day after influential Eoghan Masterson had led the charge for Connacht at Rodney Parade.

And the weekend of the win against France, it was Josh Strauss who had proved to be the key contributor in Glasgow’s triumph against the Dragons two days before he came off the bench to add some oomph for Scotland in Rome.

There is no doubt that Keddie has all the tools to make it as a professional – and a very good one at that – but he has an awful lot of learning to do (something that the affable back rower is quick to recognise).

Flinging him in at the deep end against big old units on a regular basis is a recipe for disaster in such an unforgiving position.

In Keddie and openside Ollie Griffiths, a teammate of his at last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship, the Dragons have two forwards with great promise who are learning off the likes of Nic Cudd, Lewis Evans, Ed Jackson, Nick Crosswell and, for a few more weeks at least, Taulupe Faletau.

Their development must be carefully managed, and those at the national headquarters in the Vale of Glamorgan are as aware of that as those at the Dragons’ training base in Ystrad Mynach.

Patience will be a virtue for Keddie and those of us who want to see him flourish at Rodney Parade.

South Wales Argus:

IT doesn’t seem long ago that Jason Tovey seemed to be a certainty for full international honours.

He was such a classy operator when playing in the colours of Newport and Bedwas in the Principality Premiership, oozing quality from both full-back and fly-half.

Tovey made the step up to the senior Newport Gwent Dragons side at the end of 2007/8 and then that summer featured in a Wales Under-20s side at the Junior World Cup that included Sam Warburton, Dan Biggar, Jonathan Davies, Leigh Halfpenny, Rhys Webb, Justin Tipuric and Josh Turnbull, playing on the wing in the remarkable victory against France that famously ended in a mass brawl on the Liberty Stadium pitch.

It’s sad that Tovey has not quite made the next step because on his day he is a terrific player, bringing his backs into play, pinning the opposition back with his left peg, posing a running threat and kicking his goals.

Unfortunately too many moments seem to have passed him by. Perhaps he is too laid back for his own good?

A couple of international call-ups didn’t work out (scuppered by a Dragons European play-off on one occasion and injury on others), a move to Cardiff Blues merely set him back rather than pushing him on to the next level and he hasn’t quite found the consistency to his game needed to nail down the 10 jersey.

Tovey – who is always approachable, friendly and good to talk to – is a real talent and is still only 26.

If he is to turn from enigma into a dependably excellent 10 then sadly it won’t be at the Dragons but maybe a change of scene, and moving away from the east Wales bubble, is what he needs.

In 2007/8 Tovey learnt his trade at the Bridge Field in Bedwas. Alongside him was a centre called Phil Dollman, who has gone on to pass a century of appearances for an Exeter side that are on top of the Aviva Premiership.

If a move away from Wales works out half as well for Tovey as it has for the Chiefs man then the fly-half will no longer be in the bracket of unfulfilled potential.

South Wales Argus:

THERE is little danger of Newport Gwent Dragons’ season fizzling out despite their lowly position in the Guinness Pro12.

The presence on the fixture list of three big derbies with the Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets plus a humdinger of a European Challenge Cup quarter-final against Gloucester means there are no thoughts of the beach just yet.

It’s an exciting end to what has undeniably been an awful campaign, one that has been decimated by costly injuries.

With Tyler Morgan back in a squad that contains fellow Wales internationals Taulupe Faletau and Hallam Amos plus lively talent in Ashton Hewitt, Elliot Dee and Sarel Pretorius, there is still the chance for the Dragons to salvage something from 2015/16.

A couple of derby wins would be just the ticket after falling to a Newport loss to Cardiff Blues and being downed at Parc y Scarlets and the Liberty Stadium.

And while winning at Kingsholm will be extremely tough, it’s not out of the question against a Gloucester side who have been downed by Worcester and London Irish in recent weeks despite fielding strong sides.

The chance is there for the Dragons to finish with a flourish if they get things right. The flip side is that if they get things wrong they could well finish below Zebre and endure a whitewash of derby defeats.

There may not be a Pro12 play-off push or battle for Champions Cup qualification but the pressure is well and truly on at the end of the season.