Boss Filo Tiatia believes Aaron Wainwright will produce a stellar second half of this season to help the club achieve its ongoing objectives.
Tiatia has today led the praise for Wales international after confirmation he will be depart at the end of this season for a new challenge outside of Wales.
And the Head Coach believes Wainwright will continue to lead from the front as the Men of Gwent look to build on recent performance and results.
“He is going to be a loss. I love Waino and he is a heck of a player. He brings confidence to the group,” said Tiatia.
“I’ve only coached him for a few seasons, but what he has brought to the campaign and to the group is real certainty.
“He trains hard, does all the one percenters well. He is a really good pro and, in terms of influencing others, he is someone we will miss.
“He is moving on to Leicester and now it is about how we move forward as a group,” he added.
“What we know is that he will give his best until this season is finished, which is exciting, and we have got a lot we can do together as a group.
“We have a lot of objectives we want to achieve as a group and Waino will be a big part of it.”
Looking ahead, Tiatia revealed planning for next season and beyond for the back row and Number Eight role was well under way.
“We have a lot of young talent here, the likes of Owen Conquer, Evan Minto and young Ryan Jones, they can play hybrid positions, all three of them. Shane Lewis-Hughes can play Number Eight as well,” he said.
“We have players who can play the position, and we have an opportunity now to look. We’re doing that now, at opportunities for someone or people to come in.
“Someone who comes in would need to complement what we are doing here and really impose themselves. We have work to do to find the right person or persons and retention and recruitment is really important.”
What we know is that he will give his best until this season is finished, which is exciting, and we have got a lot we can do together as a group...
