PROP Rhodri Jones can show the Ospreys the benefits of getting on a roll when he returns to Swansea with the Dragons.
The loosehead has been a star performer for the Rodney Parade club this season and will be a key figure back at his old stamping ground against a side that thrive at the set piece.
Jones spent six years with the Ospreys, joining from the Scarlets, and profited from returning back to his preferred position after an experiment at tighthead.
He moved to the Dragons in 2022 to hunt regular game time and it has been mission accomplished with this afternoon set to be his 31st appearance.
The 32-year-old has missed just three games this season and has cemented himself as the first-choice loosehead.
“I feel that I am playing my best rugby. I feel I have matured and you gain a lot of experience as you get older,” he said.
“I’ve really enjoyed this season, it is the most that I have played. That’s what I wanted when coming here, to get a run of games.
“It’s been nice to play every week and my body has held up well after a period a few seasons ago when I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted and I couldn’t stay fit enough. Now I have sorted those concerns out.”
Jones, who has won 24 Wales caps, believes he has prospered thanks to building momentum.
“I’ve always had confidence in myself, I just needed to play. I found the start of the season was better for me because we were playing every week and I could get consistency,” said the loosehead, who is backed up by Argentina international Rodrigo Martinez in Swansea.
“I was able to adapt and I would see something that I wanted to improve and would do that, with my performances gradually getting better.
“I didn’t really enjoy the season being stop-start after Christmas but we’ve had a few games in a row to finish.”
Jones aims to show his progress when up against an Ospreys side who are hunting the play-offs, largely thanks to their uncompromising approach up front.
The Dragons did, however, win 20-5 in Newport last autumn.
“They have been flying the flag for Wales in Europe and getting results in the URC,” said the prop.
“They have quite a simple game plan but are effective in what they do; they rely heavily on their forwards and have certain key players.
“We need to nullify them and put our stamp on the game up front, which is what we did well in the game at Rodney Parade.”
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