Lewis has selected eight Dragons youngsters, seven of which made their senior debuts for the Dragons this season.
Back row Taine Basham is one of those eight and is looking forward to the new challenge. “I am excited,” said Basham. “The squad is a good blend of senior boys and youth, so hopefully those who have been in the squad before can pass on their experiences to boys like me who are going into this for the first time.”
The 18-year-old was handed his regional debut in January this year, against Scarlets in the Guinness PRO14 and went on to make another four appearances for the Dragons including a run out at the Principality Stadium during Judgement Day VI.
Following his debut, Basham was selected to take part in the Wales U20s Six Nations tournament and made five appearances for the team.
“I think that the coaches used the Six Nations tournament to see what the boys are like and to prepare them for the World Cup - so far been it has been a great training programme, this time around, and I think that we are ready for the challenge,” Basham explained.
He continued: “As a group, we are close and have been working hard together. I think that this is the highest number of Dragons U20s players that have been picked in a long time and with the coaches choosing so many Dragons boys it shows that we have been working hard and having game time for the region has been beneficial.”
Ahead of the new season, the Talywain talent hopes to impress Dragons Head Coach Bernard Jackman, through the U20s World Cup. “Being with Wales will definitely be beneficial for us as we are able to show off the extra skills we have learnt whilst in camp, with eight of us being on the world stage it could make or break your career so it’s a big opportunity for us and we look forward to taking it!”
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