NEWPORT Gwent Dragons lock Adam Jones heads into tonight’s Magners League Welsh derby against the Ospreys at Rodney Parade with a dual aim – helping his team to a much needed victory and regaining his place in the Wales squad.

The twice-capped second row insists he is tired of hearing about the progress the Dragons are making, insisting that only winning will be acceptable for the players who have now lost six games on the spin.

The Christmas and New Year holiday fixtures will attract the interest of Wales coach Warren Gatland and Jones will be up against Wales lock Ian Gough, the former Newport and Dragons player.

“It’s an aim of mine to get back into the Wales squad, it’s always in the back of my mind that I want to be there,” admitted Jones.

“I’m coming into my best form for a long time and there’s no better way to measure yourself than to be up against the two Wales locks, so I’ve got to stand up and put in a performance to get selected for the squad. I’m confident I’ve got the ability and I’m confident I can do it.

“No-one is more frustrated than the players at our results. It’s no good saying we’re progressing, unless we get the results no-one takes any notice.

“We’re not far off, we’ve been beating ourselves rather than being beaten by better teams. We’ve definitely been fighting hard for 80 minutes, it’s so close that one error can cost you the game.

“But we had a good win against the Opsreys last season in a difficult period which gives us a bit of confidence. We’ll be looking to go in with a positive mindset, there’s added spice with the local derbies, it’s what we get measured on.”

“We want to get back up there and our results don’t reflect the efforts we’ve put in, it’s all been down to our mistakes.”

Jones hopes the Toulouse experience will stand them in good stead when it comes to taking on the Welsh region who are highest in the league table.

“To play against Toulouse and their wealth of internationals on the bench with a big physical pack we realised we are strong there because we dominated them for periods and as a pack we are more confident now,” he said.

“But the Ospreys have got an international pack of their own who have been playing together for the past couple of years, though we feel the need to come away with a result.”

Jones is from the Ospreys region and acknowledges the irony of their former coach Lyn Jones being onside with the Dragons as part of their coaching team.

“Lyn has given us a few tips and has pointed out their strengths and weaknesses, he’s seen what we’ve got and where we can take them on,” he said.

“There is always a bit of banter against the Ospreys, but it’s lighthearted, not too cruel. Everyone wants to be on top over Christmas so it’s going to be difficult.”

But Jones remains upbeat about the Dragons despite their run of six defeats in a row. “We are closing the gap,” he said. “We are seen as the fourth Welsh region, but we want to be up there competing with the best.”