NEWPORT Gwent Dragons boss Kingsley Jones believes hot prospect Harri Keddie is reaping the rewards of learning to do the simple things to go along with barnstorming moments.

The 20-year-old from Llanvaches is in his first full season in regional rugby and enjoyed his finest moment with the seniors when bulldozing through several defenders to secure a vital bonus point in the closing stages of last Friday's European Challenge Cup win against Enisei-STM.

Keddie has long been marked as a player of great promise, especially after leading the charge for Wales Under-20s in last year's Six Nations Grand Slam, and the Dragons believe they are starting to reap the rewards of a patient approach.

"Harrison is building," said Jones. "He hasn't been able to deliver that sort of performance from the start of games yet, because it's a big challenge, but coming off the bench he is showing what he can do.

"We've done a lot of work in recent weeks, Harrison and I, and playing the two games for Ebbw Vale recently has done him the world of good.

"These young players need to play rugby. They all want to be out there with the Dragons but giving them 10 minutes once a week doesn't help them as much as 80 minutes."

Despite his tender years, Keddie has the physical attributes to mix it with the big boys and Jones thinks he is slowly developing the less glamorous but necessary parts of the game.

"Our young fellas here have got the X-factor but they have to deliver the nuts and bolts, their game has to be clean," said Jones.

"Watch (Glasgow's) Josh Strauss and he runs over the top people but he makes his tackles, he clears out rucks.

"It's a different level (for Keddie) and there's so much going on off the ball with positional play so important, instinctively getting into a position in attack and defence.

"That's why it's important to work with videos and watch other players for good examples of how to do things and where there is learning to be done."

It's not just on video that Keddie has been watching the best closely, last November he was invited to train with the Wales squad along with Dragons teammate Leon Brown.

"It was surreal," said Keddie, who has made 11 Dragons appearances. "I'd grown up watching them all on TV and then you get told that you are going to train with them.

"First day we were a bit scared to get out the car! We were sat in the car park a bit nervous, but they were really welcoming and made it easy for us to fit in.

"It took a while to sink in but it was an invaluable experience with guys there who have 100-odd caps and British Lions with a wealth of knowledge.

"You just try and pick up anything that you can from the training and then put it across on the field."

Keddie is happy to be patient given the Dragons' back row riches with Lewis Evans, Nick Crosswell, Ed Jackson and James Thomas also able to play blindside and number eight but hopes to keep racking up the minutes.

"It would be nice to start every week but that's not how it works," he said. "You've got to be phased in and to be fair I've been involved a lot more than I thought I would have this season.

"Hopefully now I can kick on and try and get a few more starts under my belt and that vital experience.

"The more you do something, the more you get used to it. The more minutes, the quicker that you get used to it."