Hot shot Sam Davies is gunning for ‘statement’ wins for Dragons during the the festive period – after firing the region to the top of the pool stages in the European Challenge Cup.
Fly half Davies was in imperious form as he bagged 20 points – and was 100% with the boot – as Dragons defeated Worcester Warriors 25-16 on Friday evening at a soggy Rodney Parade.
Attention now turns to the Guinness PRO14 derby season with Scarlets first up in Newport on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.15pm).
And Davies is hoping it will be a successful period for Dean Ryan’s men as they look to underline the region’s growth in the opening months of the season.
“Derby games are great and I'd like to think I can add some value to the Dragons in them,” he said.
“I've been involved with the Ospreys coming to Rodney Parade and it's a tough place to come, so it's about making it hard for all of the other regions.
“We are building something here. It would be a good statement to get some derby wins and I am looking forward to going into them.
“The integration of the Welsh boys has been very good for us, they have settled in really well and added value.
“Our squad is starting to look stronger and it will be a real test for us now. Worcester came here fully loaded, so that shows we can got head-to-head with top teams.
The Scarlets, Blues and Ospreys will only test us more but we are looking forward to the challenges.”
Reflecting on the Worcester win, Davies praised a composed display from Dragons as they showed great game management in tricky wet weather conditions.
He said: “It was a good night at the office for us, we spoke about bounce back from the previous week and we did that.
“We knew that getting the win would put us in a good position in the competition but we won’t get ahead of ourselves and will stay focused.
“I pride myself on my game management, it's one of my strengths,” he added.
“It was important to get that right on Friday, Worcester came back and went ahead in the second half but we just had to remain composed. We did that and that enabled us to then take it at the end.
“Sometimes the kicks just seem to all go over, it was one of those nights for me. You put the hours in and it paid off on Friday.
“I am enjoying the responsibility and I am enjoying working with Dean. We seem to get the best out of each other.
“It's still early days but going into the derbies hopefully we can pick up a couple of good results, then our season starts to look a lot better."
It's derby season and first up in the Guinness PRO14 is Scarlets at Rodney Parade on Saturday! Make savings ahead of game day by buying online today - CLICK HERE to take your spot for an unforgettable evening of derby day action!
We are building something here. It would be a good statement to get some derby wins and I am looking forward to going into them...
