Dragons coach Bernard Jackman has likened 18-year-old Taine Basham to Justin Tipuric as the teenager prepares to make his debut against the Scarlets in Friday night.
Basham will be handed a testing first appearance against the Guinness Pro14 champions in Llanelli as the visitors continue to deal with a lengthy injury list.
But the Wales U18s forward – who has been playing for Cross Keys in the Principality Premiership for most of the season – has been backed by Jackman to handle his step up.
“Taine is a gifted boy,” said Jackman. “He is obviously very young but has loads of X-factor.
“In an ideal world you don’t give him a debut in a game of this magnitude but he is someone that we definitely would have liked to give a game at some stage this season to give him a taste of it, now he is getting it in a huge match.
“He is a good player. We rate him and think he’s got a big future for us. It’s a great opportunity for him.
“I see him as a seven, a Tipuric type. He is a very good ball carrier but not power, it’s speed and footwork. He is an attacking seven.”
The Dragons – who lost to both the Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys over the festive period – are without injured back rowers Lewis Evans, Nic Cudd, Ollie Griffiths, Harri Keddie, James Thomas, Max Williams and James Sheekey.
Wales hooker Elliot Dee and wings Hallam Amos and Ashton Hewitt are also sidelined, while Cory Hill and Rynard Landman are doubtful.
With Jackman’s team having won only once in their last six matches, the Irishman has underlined the need for further recruitment of more robust, physical players, less likely to be repeatedly ruled out through injury.
Richard Hibbard and Ross Moriarty, who are moving to Rodney Parade next season, fit that bill, although Moriarty has been unavailable to Gloucester in recent weeks because of a back injury.
Jackman added: “We need to bring in bigger, stronger and more powerful athletes that can play the game in the dry and in the wet.
We had a very young back row against the Ospreys who did well up and against quality opponents. They could bring on Paul James off the bench, which just shows the difference in budget and squad depth.
“If you look at the big name internationals – Alun Wyn Jones, Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar – they play and they don’t get injured, so our recruitment will help us bring in robust guys that can play international and regional rugby regularly.
“Leon Brown, Brok Harris, Ollie Griffiths, Tyler Morgan, Hallam Amos and Zane Kirchner, were all missing so we were young and light.
“We’ve put pressure on our medical team to get players back. And in January we will get the likes if Zane Kirchner, Tyler Morgan and Harrison Keddie back after they just missed out on this block of fixtures. But unfortunately we are still losing people with Hallam now injured.”
