DRAGONS boss Bernard Jackman hasn’t given up hope of Wales speedster Hallam Amos signing a new deal at Rodney Parade.

The 24-year-old from Monmouthshire is out of contract at the end of the season and Cardiff Blues coach John Mulvihill has already expressed an interest in snapping up the wing/full-back, although the Australian denied that a move has already been completed.

The Dragons face a battle to keep the 18-times capped international, who at the start of the month expressed a desire to see some progress after eight campaigns in Newport, but the head coach isn’t resigned to one of their stellar talents moving on.

“We will speak to Hallam and his agent and see what we can do,” said Jackman. “We’ve not given up hope, we want to be able to keep him, that’s clear.

“He has come through here and he is a great role model for everybody. With Hallam it’s not just the player, it’s the man and the way that he manages to combine his medical studies (at Cardiff University) with playing international and regional rugby.

“He is a really good role model for our young players and you don’t meet many people like Hallam. We want to keep him.”

The Dragons entertain Leinster on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.15pm) with Jackman and his coaches mulling over whether to involve their Wales contingent.

Amos, centre Tyler Morgan and tighthead Leon Brown were released to feature in the win against Edinburgh on Sunday while lock Cory Hill, hooker Elliot Dee and back rowers Aaron Wainwright and Ross Moriarty helped secure an autumn clean sweep against the Springboks.

“We need to reintegrate our internationals and it’s a great boost having them back,” said Jackman, who says Moriarty is ticking all the boxes after undergoing a head injury assessment following a blow against South Africa.

“Having Leon off the bench and Hallam and Tyler starting was great, now we have Ross, Elliot, Cory, Aaron back in the mix and they are coming back into a team that has just won rather than having massive pressure to try and lift things.

“We’ve got to be loyal to the other players – possession is nine tenths of the law. You need to have a strong case to start instead of someone else and we will have a pretty robust coaches meeting on Wednesday to finalise the team.”

The Dragons have suffered an injury blow with Brok Harris set to be out until mid-January after suffering ligament damage to his left knee.

The South African doesn’t need an operation but will miss the tough period of Leinster, Northampton, Clermont, Cardiff Blues, the Ospreys and Scarlets.

Jackman said: “It’s a big blow but we were really happy with Ryan Bevington (against Edinburgh) after he had a slow start with a few niggles, he stepped up when we needed him.

“We are lucky to have Aaron Jarvis who covers both sides, Lloyd Fairbrother has been going really well and Leon is back.

“There’s never a good time for someone to get injured but hopefully we can cover Brok for the next eight weeks.”