HEAD coach Bernard Jackman believes Jason Tovey could be a crucial player for the Dragons this season after the fly-half made an impressive start to his third spell with the region, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 29-year-old is with the Dragons on permit from Cross Keys after signing for the Principality Premiership side last summer following his release by Edinburgh.

Tovey impressed on his return to the Guinness PRO14 by playing the full game against Ulster in Belfast on Friday, showing glimpses of the class that made him a Rodney Parade favourite in two previous spells in Newport.

Jackman called on the left-footer because of injuries to Gavin Henson (knee) and Arwel Robson (ankle) while Josh Lewis has blown hot and cold since his move from Bath and Jacob Botica is still coming to terms with pro rugby after his arrival from RGC.

Tovey is set to continue at 10 at Connacht on Saturday (kick-off 5.15pm) with the head coach lauding his calmness and decision-making.

“For a guy who was playing Welsh Premiership to play 80 minutes there [was great],” said Jackman.

“I thought that he gave us more control and I think he will be better next week. He hasn’t been in a full-time environment since May and gives us a little bit of stability.

“He is a very talented player and we were glad to have him. He was out on his feet at the end but he could be crucial for us.

“We need an experienced 10 who kicks his goals and gets us in the right areas. He got the ball into space well and he takes the right options.

“We don’t have guys like (Ulster’s Australia wing) Henry Speight that get you over the gain line when you go out the back, so we have to really manipulate the defence.

“Jason’s experience from being in the league for a long time means that he makes better decisions and he is calm. He was good at Ulster but will be better at Connacht.”

Jackman believes the Dragons are getting closer to ending their away drought in the PRO14 (now 36 successive defeats since beating Treviso in March, 2015) after pushing Ulster hard in Belfast.

They could easily have returned home with a consolation bonus and the battling display should provide a confidence boost for this weekend’s clash in Galway.

“It was a big step forward for us,” said Jackman. “Away form has been a massive issue over the last three or four seasons and that away win will come once we build a bit of self-belief.

“At Leinster we were very poor, at Glasgow we were much better and we made another step forward again.

“We were disappointed not to get something out of it but we didn’t capitalise on a lot of possession and territory in the Ulster 22 in the second half. Unfortunately we are learning the hard way, but we will learn.

“Ravenhill is a tough place to come but the boys dug in. It’s hard to talk like this when you lose, but as long as we keep getting more competitive that win will come and that will be our spark.”