NEW forwards coach Ceri Jones has been 'getting his teeth' into Newport Gwent Dragons' scrum as he attempts to build a platform for the region's talented three-quarters.

The former Wales prop was appointed in June, heading to the region's Ystrad Mynach training base from a job with Worcester's academy and a part-time role in charge of Ebbw Vale's pack.

It may still be the early days of pre-season but Jones, who made 97 appearances for Newport between 1998 and 2003 before going on to become a favourite with Harlequins, has already been putting the tight five through their paces.

The Dragons pack have improved in recent seasons under the watchful eye of head coach Kingsley Jones with former Scotland prop Bruce Douglas coming in one day a week to help with the scrum.

But the set piece is especially high on the agenda of front-rower Jones, who was primarily a loosehead but made his only start for Wales at tighthead.

"The conditioners are in charge at the moment so we just have little snippets here and there, but I got my teeth into the scrum straight away," said the 39-year-old from Usk.

"That's my area of expertise and I really want us to have a decent reputation at the scrum, while we've also done bits with the lineout and at the breakdown.

"Generally it's been at the end of a weights session or 20 minutes here and there. We are trying to drip-feed information and filter ideas through before it really takes over in August. It's easier to learn when dripped in, it keeps the boys up to date and it's not overkill."

The pressure on the Dragons pack – and therefore Jones – to produce the goods comes from having the Hallam Amos, Tyler Morgan, Ashton Hewitt, Tom Prydie and Sarel Pretorius who thrive in space.

"We've got an exciting group of backs with the likes of Hallam and Tyler who want to get their hands on the ball," said the forwards coach. "From my point of view, we want to give them a platform but we also have to strike a balance.

"We need to have a good driving lineout to suck defenders in while having a dominant scrum can actually kill your game, the odd good scrum ties the back row in so that the next one you can play off and space has opened up. It's all about finding that balance."

The Dragons squad are in the final week of their first block of pre-season training and start preparations in earnest for the Guinness Pro12 in August.