DRAGONS prop Lloyd Fairbrother said he is ‘ready to go’ if Wales come calling for the Six Nations after experiencing a ‘slither’ of international rugby.

The 31-year-old returns to club duty against Leinster at Rodney Parade on Sunday after representing his country in the uncapped fixture against the Barbarians.

Fairbrother, whose mother Pat is from Blaenavon, answered an SOS to start at Principality Stadium when Wales were without the World Cup trio of Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis and Henry Thomas unavailable.

Dragons prop Leon Brown and Keiron Assiratti were initially named in the squad but pulled out because of injury.

That led to Fairbrother starting and putting in a solid 53-minute performance against former All Blacks loosehead Joe Moody.

READ MORE: Fairbrother's emotional Wales debut after family heartbreak

His efforts earned the praise of Warren Gatland and the Dragons stalwart will aim to stay in the mix ahead of the Six Nations.

South Wales Argus: Dragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother sings the national anthem before Wales' clash with the BarbariansDragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother sings the national anthem before Wales' clash with the Barbarians (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“Getting your foot in the door is the hardest thing with the national team and I have finally had that opportunity,” said Fairbrother, who had previously been invited to train with the Wales squad.

“I won’t look too far ahead, and getting our season up and running at the Dragons is the priority, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t at the back of my mind.

“I want more of it after experiencing a little slither of it because it was such a good experience and I felt I played pretty well.

“The game is really fast, there is no getting away from that, but I thought I did well with the scrums and mauls, which are the nuts and bolts of the game for a prop.

“I just made sure that I worked as hard as I could, because I knew that I wouldn’t be up to speed with all the calls, and showed some passion.

“After coming in at the last minute I made sure I took as many snaps of things in my head, soaked it all up and enjoyed it for what it is.

“If there is more involvement down the line then I am ready to go, if not then I have made the most of it.”

South Wales Argus: STALWART: Dragons prop Lloyd FairbrotherSTALWART: Dragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Fairbrother is in his tenth campaign with the Dragons and has overtaken Adam Black to become the prop with most appearances for the club (166).

He might not be blessed with Brown’s dynamism but the solid front rower has proved to be durable and dependable.

“I joined the Dragons as a young tighthead from Exeter and that was our DNA, working hard, grafting and doing the unseen stuff,” said Fairbrother, who was out for almost a year after rupturing his left Achilles in 2021.

“Your scrum has to be a given and discipline is massive, then anything else is a bonus. Prop is a position where you mature and get more of a whole game together and I definitely feel like a senior player now.”