Dragons look for Che Hope and Morgan Lloyd to push seniors

Rhodri Jones was the first man to wear 9 on his back for the Rodney Parade club in 2003 and he has been followed by 32 men in the position.

Wayne Evans leads the way on 157 appearances with Jonathan Evans in second place on 83 and the only man to have come through the academy to bring up a half-century.

The Dragons currently have a trio of seniors on the books with Rhodri Williams and Lewis Jones scrapping for the start in the United Rugby Championship opener while Gonzalo Bertranou is on Test duty with Argentina.

Competition is fierce for the senior start but the challenge is to make and develop future contenders, not bring them in as the current crop were from Bristol, Cardiff and Los Jaguares.

Dan Babos spent last season as the fourth option and was released in the summer after making just 18 appearances, 13 of them in 2017/18.

Former Dragons scrum-half Dan Babos

He is now battling with Owain Leonard, another former Dragons prospect, for the start in Pontypool’s Championship promotion bid.

They couldn’t establish themselves as professionals, in part because scrum-half is a position where it can be hard when flung in, especially in a side that isn’t winning.

The challenge of learning on the job has led to the likes of Worcester’s Luke Baldwin and Cardiff’s Jones being brought in on loan in recent years.

The Dragons currently have two young prospects aiming to push into the senior picture.

Morgan Lloyd featured on the senior squad photo but is on the comeback trail from a shoulder injury suffered with Wales Under-20s this summer while Che Hope has been working closely with Williams and Jones this summer.

Dragons youngster Che Hope (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

The 19-year-old travelled with Dean Ryan’s squad for the training camp in Dublin, could feature in Friday’s final friendly at the Scarlets and has to be ready if needed in the absence of Pumas star Bertranou.

“Would it be the greatest experience if he got thrown in? Probably not, but it's a fantastic experience to develop,” admitted director of rugby Ryan.

“We have been super impressed with him and his attitude towards learning what it is like to be in a senior environment.

“When Gonzo is back, scrum-half is an area where we have real strength in depth but for this three or four weeks it's one where we have fingers crossed. If not, youngsters have to take their opportunities.”

Williams has climbed to third on the list of appearances by a Dragons scrum-half with 78 outings since arriving from Bristol in 2018.

At 29, the three-times capped Wales international is charged with being a mentor as well as a first-teamer.

Dragons scrum-half Rhodri Williams

“Che is with us full time and he is pushing us,” said the ex-Scarlet. “He is a quality nine who brings different parts of the game. He's a very sharp nine, a very fit nine and he has shown that during pre-season.

“If me, Lewis and Gonzalo can help him with anything, we need to make sure that door is open for him to learn off us.

“And if there's anything we can pick off his game and learn from him [that is great], because everyone has the different attributes they bring to the game.

“Mentorship is something you have got to be conscious of and not just leave the youngsters to get on with it. You look at his game, look at him in training and sit down with him.

“If you see something in training just ask him ‘what were your thoughts there?’ not just straight out correct him, because he might have seen a different picture to what you would have seen.

“It's about understanding where he's coming from and how he's going to play the game.”

With money tight, the Dragons need a young contender to push forward or they will have to keep looking elsewhere.

Dragons scrum-halves: Rhodri Jones (12 games), Bryan Shelbourne (2), Gareth Baber (75), Gareth Cooper (75), James Ireland (10), Alex Walker (41), Andy Williams (20), Wayne Evans (157), Rob Lewis (12), Tom Isaacs (7), Danny Lee (12), James Leadbeater (13), Gareth Williams (3), Jonathan Evans (83), Nicky Griffiths (4), Mike Petri (3), Joe Bedford (21), Liam Davies (7), Rhys Downes (1), Richie Rees (47), Luc Jones (25), Charlie Davies (54), Sarel Pretorius (72), Tavis Knoyle (51), Owain Leonard (6), Dane Blacker (2), Dan Babos (18), Callum Morris (1), Rhodri Williams (78), Rhodri Davies (8), Luke Baldwin (13), Gonzalo Bertranou (24), Lewis Jones (7).