TIGHTHEAD Lloyd Fairbrother feels he has taken on the role of a pack leader at the Dragons since Bernard Jackman arrived in Newport this summer.

With Leon Brown away on international duty during the autumn, the Cornwall-born front rower took the chance to get plenty of game time under his belt.

He will get another opportunity to shine tonight after being named in the Dragons’ starting XV for the visit of Enisei-STM to Rodney Parade in the European Challenge Cup.

And head coach Jackman has been suitably impressed with the 26-year-old former Exeter Chiefs forward’s performances so far this season.

All in all, things are on the up for Fairbrother, who is Wales-qualified thanks to his mother, and he is keen to keep his standards high.

“At the start of the season I wasn’t quite where Bernard and Ceri (Jones, forwards coach) wanted me to be,” he said.

“They were quite honest with me about where they thought I was and where I needed to be “I think being really fit is my main thing and having a couple of 80 minutes really does help that.

“So being really fit and a bit of a pack leader is where I’ve developed my game.

“It is easy saying you want to be a pack leader but to actually do it and get the boys behind you in the scrum is quite a challenge.

“I think that’s something that has come into my game, being that leader at scrum time, that’s where I’ve pushed on a little bit.

“It’s a hard thing to do when you want to talk in front of the boys but you’ve got to be that role model.”

Fairbrother says he noticed a change in atmosphere around the Dragons camp very early into Jackman’s reign.

“I felt it in week one of pre-season when everything shifted” he added.

“Bernard put down where we’re going and you’re either part of that and fully buying into it or you’re not.

“It’s a ruthless place to be and if you are part of it it’s a great ship to be on.”

And what about possibly following in the footsteps of teammates Brown, Hallam Amos, Cory Hill and Elliot Dee, who all featured for Wales in the recent internationals?

He said: “It’s awesome for those boys to get into the Wales squad, and for all of us it shows it can be done through hard work.

“We’re all on the same ship so there’s no reason why we can’t push on now and get more boys into the Wales squad.

“My main focus is doing what Ceri and Bernard tell me to do week in and week out.

“Playing for the Dragons is number one for me at the minute but if anything comes from that it would be awesome.”

Commenting on Fairbrother, Jackman said: “The good thing about Leon being away and Brok (Harris) playing loosehead is that Lloyd’s had a chance to play back-to-back games.

“He’s been working really hard on his fitness since the start of the season, he’s been doing a lot of extras, and I think we’re starting to see some potential there.”