THE Dragons have been spared a fly-half crisis against the Lions on Saturday with Will Reed poised to get the all-clear.
The 22-year-old from Cwmbran was forced off after half an hour of the 69-14 United Rugby Championship hammering by the Sharks last weekend.
Reed suffered a blow to the head after spilling a high ball in Durban and was then followed off the pitch by Cai Evans, who had moved forward from full-back.
With Angus O’Brien out with a fractured forearm, that led to centre Steff Hughes playing as an emergency fly-half at Kings Park.
He is makeshift option for the Lions clash but it looks like the club captain won’t be starting with 10 on his back thanks to Reed getting the green light.
"Will was immediately good after the game and has passed everything since," said head coach Dai Flanagan.
"We are struggling to see how he failed what he failed and he is arguably the brightest out of the travelling party because he only played 30 minutes of rugby.
"You have to hand it over to the specialist and we have made sure we've had independent people within this seven-day turnaround."
Jordan Williams is set to return from a back injury at full-back to provide an extra kicking option while scrum-half Rhodri Williams is a canny footballer who has filled in at wing and full-back in the past.
However, the Dragons will not be calling on backs coach Matt O’Brien despite the 31-year-old being one of the best playmakers in the Premiership.
The Newport RFC fly-half/centre has been a key figure in the development of Reed while playing alongside him for the Black and Ambers.
The left-footer has racked up 184 appearances over 10 seasons and only Dan Griffiths in the club’s rich history can beat his tally of 1,159 points.
O’Brien, older brother of Angus, is a class act at semi-professional level but Flanagan has outlined why he won’t be flung in against full-timers in Johannesburg.
"Our level is completely different," said Flanagan, a former fly-half himself. "Matt trains twice a week and does a little bit of gym work, although he probably never tells anyone he does that!
"Our level is completely different and then you add into the fact that we will be at altitude where the air is thin. Also, I don't think it would be fair on Matt to coach a team and play in it.
"He knows that his semi-pro days are coming to an end and he picks and chooses the games that fit around his schedule.
"He certainly won't be playing, especially at altitude... Oyonnax in the rain at Rodney Parade, could be more Matt O'Brien!
"He is laughing about this, saying he is available but we don't have the budget to pay a coach extra to play!"
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