THE Dragons have appointed Angus O’Brien as co-captain after skipper Ben Carter’s knee injury.
The Rodney Parade club will be without Wales lock Carter until February at the earliest after he suffered a blow at the start of the Test camp for the autumn internationals.
He will miss the next block of the season that features United Rugby Championship action – three of the four games being derbies – and the Challenge Cup group stages.
The Dragons return to action at Cardiff on Saturday evening and fly-half/full-back O’Brien is poised to lead the side into a new era with interim head coach Filo Tiatia calling the shots after the exit of Dai Flanagan.
The 30-year-old from Caerleon has been an influential figure since returning from the Scarlets for a second spell with the club in 2022.
O’Brien, who is on 94 appearances, was badly missed when he suffered a pair of arm injuries that limited him to five outings last season.
He has started in five of six URC fixtures so far in the current campaign, only missing out at Leinster as a precaution because of a twinge in the warm-up.
The big-kicking back will now lead by example whether with 10 or 15 on his back and will be assisted by a trio of vice-captains – back row forward Harri Keddie, centre Aneurin Owen and lock Matthew Screech.
“The decision to appoint a new co-captain and vice-captains is all about shared experience, as we have a young team and leadership group,” said Tiatia.
“We want the group to keep growing in that area and the appointment of two co-captains and three vice-captains will only strengthen us.
“It’s important that anyone of those can captain this team and we grow leaders for the long-term. With the nature of the game, we will pick up injuries and so we need people to be ready to lead.
“All those selected are unique individuals who will lead in different ways and styles. But we believe there will be the right balance with how they work together.”
The Dragons head to Cardiff this weekend and then face a vital home fixture against Montpellier to kick off their bid for the Challenge Cup knockout stages.
A trip to Newcastle is followed by the Boxing Day derby with Cardiff at Rodney Parade and a New Year’s Day game at the Scarlets.
