ASHTON Hewitt may be working hard on his kicking game but the Newport Gwent Dragons winger has pledged to keep going on the run, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 20-year-old from Caerleon was a key figure when the Dragons scored a try of the season contender in March's thrilling win against Ulster at Rodney Parade.

Hallam Amos and Carl Meyer rightly received great plaudits for dishing out a powerful hand-off on Ruan Pienaar and an acrobatic finish respectively but it all started with Hewitt chancing his arm on a jinking run.

Kicking and being strong under the high ball are increasingly important skills for back three players but though the youngster is grafting hard with backs coach Shaun Connor, he still intends to play to his strengths.

"I've not been a big fan of kicking throughout my rugby career so far and my first instinct is to lift my head up and have a run at people. In these last couple of games that's what I've been doing," he said.

"But I still have been working on my kicking because it's a part that was missing from my game and it has improved."

And Hewitt will hope to be given plenty of opportunities to stretch his legs against Edinburgh at Rodney Parade on Friday evening (kick-off 7.30pm).

The former Wales Under-20s international made a cameo off the bench against the Scots in the Challenge Cup semi-final drubbing at Murrayfield and was a replacements in the 29-10 loss to the Scarlets at Judgement Day.

The Dragons created plenty of chances at the Millennium Stadium but Tyler Morgan was their sole try scorer. They cannot afford to be as profligate this weekend as they search for a win that win ensure they finish above Cardiff Blues in the Guinness Pro12.

"We created chances but didn't execute with fumbles, inaccurate passes and kicks," lamented Hewitt. "We do cause damage and split teams but when it comes down to it we need to score the points."

The season is not yet done but Hewitt, who has played 12 times this term, is already relishing his return to the Dragons' training base in Ystrad Mynach in the summer.

He said: "Lyn (Jones, director of rugby) took a bit of a risk in signing me last summer but hopefully all the improvements that I've made and the experiences of playing in big games will benefit me next year.

"I am looking forward to pre-season and getting stuck into next year's games, hopefully making even more appearances."

"This season has been massive for me in the transition from the academy to the senior environment," he continued.

"It's a big change and I have improved quite a lot in most aspects of my game and feel I've come on quite a bit.

"Life as a pro is a bit different to training with Newport on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Coming here every day you see how much more is required of you, mentally as well as physically."