Head Coach Filo Tiatia has welcomed the return of Wales duo Ben Carter and Aaron Wainwright into the mix in South Africa – as he urges his Dragons to continue growing this weekend.
Carter and Wainwright have flown out to link up with the squad ahead of the Round 13 clash with Fidelity SecureDrive Lions in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm UK time.
And Tiatia has spoken of the size of the challenge ahead against the in-form Lions – the new SA Shield holders – at altitude at Ellis Park Stadium.
“Both players (Carter and Wainwright) are here and they’ve been a great addition during the week - I’m sure people have seen them on our social media too,” he said.
“They've joined the group seamlessly and got into their work. It's great having both of them here and in the mix.
“There was a lot of good stuff in the Stormers game,” reflected Tiatia.
“The focus is on getting better in different parts of our game. Our concentration when it's tough is crucial and it's going to be a little bit more challenging here with the altitude. We’ve just got to keep building on our game model.
“Ivan (van Rooyen) has done a good job, and I like the way they play.
“You can see the DNA, they kick the ball a lot, are a very good attacking set piece team from first phase, where they get most of their points.
“Like last week against the Stormers, it is making sure that we're clear on how we shut them down and then how we try and get the ball back.”
Meanwhile, Tiatia has revealed back row Harry Beddall has returned home after his injury against Stormers.
“As a father and as a coach, it's tough when you see a young man get injured that way,” he said.
“We’ve flown him home and the main thing for him is he recovers well.
“He will go through the protocols, and hopefully he has no symptoms and he's back on the horse again when the time is right.”
Our concentration when it's tough is crucial and it's going to be a little bit more challenging here with the altitude. We’ve just got to keep building on our game model.
