Williams to captain Dragons in PRO14 opener at Munster

The Wales scrum-half led the Rodney Parade region in their pre-season win against Scarlets and will continue in the first game of the Dean Ryan era in Limerick (kick-off 3pm).

The Dragons are yet to confirm whether lock Cory Hill, who is set to return from Japan after his World Cup injury anguish, will carry on as captain for the third campaign on the spin.

Former Lions hooker Richard Hibbard frequently deputised during Test periods last season while the likes of Lewis Evans, Ollie Griffiths, Harrison Keddie and Ashton Hewitt have previously led the team out.

Williams will have the honour in the league opener at Thomond Park but the three-times capped international knows there will be plenty of leaders alongside him.

"It is a massive honour to captain the club and it was a privilege to do it for the Scarlets game, but it doesn't really change much for me as a player," said the 26-year-old, who made 25 appearances last season after signing from Bristol.

"I was captain a long time ago when I was at the Scarlets for an Anglo-Welsh Cup game but I haven't done a league game.

"We've got leaders in the team – the 10s who control attack, the centres who control defence, the second rows take control of the lineout – it's scattered across the field, so we are all looking after our own areas essentially."

The Dragons returned for pre-season training on June 10 and 15 weeks later finally get a taste of competitive action.

The PRO14 fixture computer has given them a tough test against a Munster side that will be hot favourites even in the absence of their World Cup contingent.

However, the trip to last year's semi-finalists is the perfect test for the Dragons' summer graft under new director of rugby Ryan.

"We are excited for that first game, it was a long pre-season and Dean has brought a lot of his things in and it has been really good," said Williams.

"The first game is a big test for us, I wouldn't load it all on one game and we are going to build into the season. We are going into the game win but we just want to look at our processes and hopefully get a good performance.

"I don't have to explain about Munster's history, it's going to be a big test. I know that it is World Cup year and they are without their internationals but they will still be a quality side.

"We just have to make sure we are ready. We have to keep building and put in place what we have trained for.

"It's a big challenge and 100 per cent it's not going to be easy, but hopefully we can get the result."

The Dragons have won just once on Munster soil – their first trip in 2003/4 – and this weekend has the novelty of a trip to the Irish province's premier ground.

Games against the Rodney Parade region are often allocated to Musgrave Park in Cork but on Saturday they head to Thomond, the venue for Munster's big European occasions for the first time since March, 2016.

"It's a pitch that you can enjoy playing on. It's a quality stadium and somewhere to get excited about," said Williams.

"As a group you look at that fixture and it's one that you can enjoy and relish as a player, one that you can challenge yourself in."