NEWPORT Gwent Dragons have hailed the character of Taulupe Faletau after he brushed off the disappointment of his collapsed move to Bath to turn out for his home region.

The 24-year-old Lions number eight had hoped to be playing in the Aviva Premiership this season but the Welsh Rugby Union denied the Dragons the chance to sell him before his contract expires next summer.

Faletau was brought straight back into the XV by the Rodney Parade side against the Scarlets on Friday – print deadlines meant he didn’t feature in the matchday programme – but endured a tough evening.

The Dragons produced a sloppy performance in the 25-15 loss and the Wales ace, who had a majestic World Cup, joined in with a number of uncharacteristic handling errors.

It was hard not to feel for Faletau as he sat shoulders slumped on the bench after his planned departure on the hour but backs coach Shaun Connor praised his professionalism after seeing a dream move put on hold.

“It was a tough week for Toby,” said Connor, who was fly-half at the Dragons when Faletau broke into the senior set-up in 2009.

“He has not trained a lot with us but he came back earlier in the week and he was keen to play which sums him up as a bloke and a person.

“He is a top fella and couldn’t wait to get out there to play for us.

“He was taken off (after an hour) purely because he has had a tough World Cup and I would imagine he is a little battered and bruised.

“We needed to get another back on the field because we had suffered a yellow card and we decided to take Toby off at that time.”

The Dragons host Ulster a week on Sunday.