Lock Carter ruled out with injury

Wales international lock Ben Carter is set for a spell on the sidelines after Head Coach Dai Flanagan revealed his star second row has suffered a ‘severe hamstring tear’.

Carter was forced off in the derby victory over Ospreys at Rodney Parade with a hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old has missed the club’s tour to South Africa to face HollywoodBets Sharks and Emirates Lions.

And now Flanagan has confirmed Carter – who has made 51 appearances for the Men of Gwent - will see a specialist this week and will miss several months of action.

"It's a severe hamstring tear and we are probably looking at three or four months," said Flanagan.

"He is meeting a specialist in London to see exactly what we need to do but it is a long-term injury.

"It's a shame for Ben, he has got the work rate of two men and it's important that whoever replaces him brings the same work rate in attack and defence.

"A Ben Carter is needed in every team, that second row who just keeps working and working so that other people can flourish.

 “He was jackaling and it's a horrible mechanism for a tall man like Ben over the ball. The stretch of his hamstring was not nice to watch,” he added.

“The difference to a back doing it is that they are fast-twitch, but Ben is a young man and we just need to get this right for the longevity of his career."

Flanagan now hopes the extended break will be of benefit to Carter who has yet to have a lengthy break in his impressive career.

“Look at how we managed Ryan Woodman with an extended three-month break after the World Rugby U20 Championship, Ben has never had that in his career,” added the Head Coach.

“This is an opportunity for Ben to have a rest, recover, learn a bit more about the game and physically develop.”

Meanwhile, Dragons have been boosted by the return of Jordan Williams and Harri Keddie the tour to South Africa.

Both were named in a 30-man squad and Flanagan is eager to see them involved.

“Jordan has travelled. He won’t be up for selection this week, but he will be back in the mix for selection next week,” he said.

“He needs to be around the rugby and get that extra conditioning that South Africa's temperatures can give him. He will be a great asset to us when he's back.

“Harri is back in the mix, which is superb, because he's a leader in this group.

“It's a shame to pick up a few injuries recently, but we must train at an intensity to improve and make players better.

“Unfortunately, that does come with a risk, but we got to make sure we have an attitude of next man up. That's the mindset we are going with.”