Jackman happy to have selection conundrums

Jackman and the Dragons were hit by a long list of injuries throughout last season as the squad was stretched to its limit and beyond. 

However, ahead of the big Guinness PRO14 opener with the Italians at Rodney Parade he revealed fierce competition across the field for starting jerseys.

Ashton Hewitt, Harri Keddie, Aaron Jarvis and Jared Rosser are confirmed absentees while scrum half Tavis Knoyle is expected to be declared fit after a calf injury against Gloucester. 

“It’s a nice problem to have, last year the team picked itself based on who was available,” said Jackman.

“There are some selection conundrums and some really good players left out, then it’s a balancing act of whether they play for the A team this weekend or in the Principality Premiership.

"We want to share the game time but also don’t want to load our development team with players that we don’t need to develop. It’s getting that mix right.”

One player who will return is back row Ollie Griffiths and Jackman believes his return could be pivotal.

“Ollie will be part of our squad and that’s a great boost to us,” said Jackman. 

“He is such a dynamic ball carrier and against Treviso we need people who can get us over the gain line and get their hands free in contact. He is exceptional at that.

“I think back to the Ulster game [at Rodney Parade] when he was sensational.

“Ollie is such a good player that we just feel it is better to start him and let him go, because he looks after himself so well and is the consummate professional.“Even though it’s hard to play your first competitive game like that, we feel it is worth the risk of getting him straight in.

“We know that he is a game-changer and we want to win. We will get as many game-changers on the field as we can.”