Wales boss Wayne Pivac believes Will Rowlands move to the Dragons could be the making of him as a Welsh star on the Test stage.
The giant lock will be with Dean Ryan's men next season after switching from Wasps to continue his international career.
The 29-year-old made his Test debut in the 2020 Six Nations and will win his eighth cap against Canada in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon, joining forces with regional team-mate Ben Carter in the second row.
Rowlands has been a lynchpin in the Wasps pack and racked up 19 club starts last season despite being with Wales in the autumn and during the Six Nations.
Head coach Pivac says Dragons move will be beneficial for the imposing lock - and believes that will help Rowlands push for a starting birth in the Wales boilerhouse.
"I think we'll see the best of Will come the autumn time when he's had a good off season and a break. He'll be managed well and the boys at the Dragons will do that," he told the South Wales Argus.
"Where he has been, he plays virtually every minute of every game and then comes into national camp, where we don't go easy on the players in terms of their conditioning and intensity in training.
"Will has been running on fumes for a while and has had a couple of weeks break. Coming in this week, he's really excited and maybe a little bit fresher than he's been in the past.
"With a big off season and kicking on in the autumn we expect Will to make big strides."
The Lions tour means that captain Jones is not with Wales, and his injury misfortune led to the late call-up of Beard.
Pivac is also preparing for life without locks Jake Ball and Cory Hill, a situation that has led to experienced Rowlands coming to the fore.
"He's got a senior role in this group and has done really, really well so far – albeit in training. I expect Will to take advantage of the situation. He's a big man and what we need going forward," he added.
"We have Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Beard to come back. Those three guys already have a wealth of experience with their ages and what they've done in the game.
"Then we look at the guys in behind. We're having a look at Matthew Screech, there is Seb Davies, Ben Carter is coming through and there are some boys in the Under-20s who have a lot of size.
"I'm quietly confident within the next two years we'll definitely sort out the second rows that need to go to the World Cup."
I think we'll see the best of Will come the autumn time when he's had a good off season and a break...
