THE Dragons brought in six players this summer yet boss Dai Flanagan was hailing two ‘new signings’ after the dramatic win against the Ospreys.
The Rodney Parade club got their United Rugby Championship campaign off to a flying start by stunning their Welsh rivals 23-21 after Luke Yendle’s try at the death and Lloyd Evans’ conversion.
The celebrations can’t last long with a fixture against Leinster on Friday at the Aviva Stadium, which is being used by the Irish heavyweights while the Royal Dublin Society is being redeveloped.
The Dragons will need to be at their best if they are to be competitive in Ireland and Angus O’Brien could once again be a key figure.
The full-back was superb in the win against the Ospreys when frequently stepping up from the back and sharing the playmaking duties with new fly-half Lloyd Evans.
After the 30-year-old from Caerleon was limited to just four games last season because of arm injuries, Flanagan is thrilled to have his 15 back.
“You can hear him from the terraces. He is an ultra-competitor but he also brings clarity and calmness with his communication,” said the head coach.
“He is like a new signing for us. Two seasons ago he played full-back and was player of the year and arguably was close to Wales selection.
“He can play 10 at a high standard as well and it’s just nice to have some depth because we still have Will Reed, who is on an upward curve after the learnings from last year, and Cai Evans.”
The Dragons also benefited from an excellent return to action by Leon Brown in his first Dragons appearance since January.
The 27-year-old tighthead, who had been out since Wales’ Six Nations loss to Scotland, has been carefully brought back into the fold.
“He was excellent against the Ospreys but Leon will have one of the next two off because we want him for multiple years,” said Flanagan.
“The challenge is making him better and better and better because there are not many tightheads like Leon Brown in the UK.
“We have been aligned with the WRU since the Six Nations. We knew we needed to make him strong and that means he can compete at this level and higher.
“We have taken our time and communicated throughout the process, we saw a bit of the reward against the Ospreys.”
Brown was backed up by Yendle in the derby with the 24-year-old from Caerphilly enjoying the biggest moment of his career when barging over at the death.
“We defended a seven-man scrum extremely well with Luke and he did his role. There is an expectation on him and our younger props to be better this year and that started well,” said Flanagan.
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