ROSS WARDLE hopes he has done enough to warrant further chances with Newport Gwent Dragons this season after swapping the Bridge Field, Bedwas, for one of the most daunting rugby arenas in the country.

But winger Wardle was undaunted by his experience at Bath’s Recreation Ground, where he had a dream debut in Dragons’ colours despite the region going down to defeat in their opening LV= Cup clash of the season.

Wardle went over for one try, nearly scored another and helped enormously in the second that replacement Dan Evans grabbed just before the final whistle.

However, despite some sterling work from the changed side of last week’s 37-6 RaboDirect Pro12 humbling at Glasgow, it was still a defeat which has made this week’s second LV= Cup clash with Northampton at Rodney Parade into a serious ‘must-win’ game on several fronts.

It was, though, a great day for Wardle, who said: “It was a great honour to be here, to be honest. I’ve always wanted, since I was young, to have the opportunity to play at places like this at pro level with a team like Newport Gwent Dragons.

“Obviously, today was my day and hopefully I took that chance enough to be involved again next week.

“My try was great work from our backs. Hallam Amos made a break on the outside and I was just screaming for it on the inside. When I got the ball I went for the line.”

Wardle admitted that there were mixed emotions in the changing-room at the end of the game, adding: “Towards the end we showed a bit of fight. There were a lot of positives but we have got to take away the negatives otherwise it is not going to work.”

His try put the Dragons 7-3 up after six minutes, with outside-half Steffan Jones adding the conversion.

But Bath’s new flying machine on the wing, Fijian Semesa Rokoduguni, who scored two tries in the match, England centre Matt Banahan, who added another, and the return of highly promising outside-half Tom Heathcote were the Dragons’ downfall.

It did not help that big second-rower Ian Nimmo was sent to the sin-bin on the stroke of half-time for a high tackle, and was followed in the second half by flanker and skipper Jevon Groves for a ruck offence.

Wardle, though, nearly scored again when he flew down the left wing and thought he was in again, only for the touch judge to put his flag up within a stride of the line.

With the game long gone, the Bedwas man also sent Evans over on the left, but he hopes to be selected for next week’s game against Northampton at Rodney Parade.

“I have not been playing wing for long and there may be things that the coaches have picked up on that I have done or not done. I can only learn every game and pick up things like position work, but hopefully those will come.”

Bath scorers – Tries: Semesa Rokoduguni (2), Matt Banahan; pens: Tom Heathcote (5); cons: Tom Heathcote (3).

Dragons scorers – Tries: Ross Wardle, Dan Evans; pen: Steffan Jones’ con: Steffan Jones.