The Lowdown on Wales’ Key Cog

To get an insight into the qualities which have seen Ben Carter nail down a Wales second row spot, it’s revealing to listen to his Dragons RFC coach Filo Tiatia.

Having earned promotion from the bench midway through the Guinness Six Nations, Carter went on to make six successive starts for his country, establishing himself as a key cog in the machine.

He has brought a huge defensive work-rate – as illustrated by him winning the Vodacom URC Tackle Machine award last season – along with hard carrying, all-round physicality and lineout acumen.

On the domestic front, he is a pivotal figure for the Dragons, marking his first appearance of the new league campaign by captaining them to victory over the Scarlets last weekend.

Now he heads into another big Rodney Parade Welsh derby, with the Ospreys the visitors to Newport on Friday night.

It’s clear that his regional head coach Tiatia has the highest regard for the 25-year-old from Caldicot.

“He’s a very humble man,” said the former All Blacks forward.

“He’s a good pro and he has that quality of just always wanting to improve and get better.

“He’s worked hard on his body following the injuries that he’s had.

“He does the basics really well and he leads from the front. He doesn’t talk too much, but when he does talk, the group listens.

“He hadn’t had any pre-season games for us, but he turned up last week and just said to me ‘I’m ready to go’ and played the full 80 minutes.

“I told him after the game I was thinking of taking him off and he was very disappointed hearing that!”

Turning to the international scene, Tiatia added: “As a young man, he has aspirations and goals and he is trying to bring them to life.

“Ben is a proud Welshman and why wouldn’t he want to represent his country and continue wearing the red jersey, with the flames of the Welsh mentality and scrap and fight. This guy has a lot of that.”

Reflecting on what being a first choice lock for Wales has done for him, the 21-cap Carter said: “I feel a little bit more established in the group.

“When you start contributing on the field more, you feel more part of the group.

“I just love playing and to get a run of games for Wales was brilliant. It’s frustrating when it gets broken up by injuries or not being selected.

“I was just loving being involved and I would like to be again.

“I definitely have aspirations to represent Wales as much as I can.

“That comes from domestic form and results.”

With that in mind, Carter’s firm focus is on the showdown with the Ospreys, as the Dragons look to continue their unbeaten start to the Vodacom URC season.

Having opened up with a 19-19 draw away to Benetton Rugby, they then claimed a 38-26 bonus point victory at home to the Scarlets.

After multiple seasons spent down towards the bottom of the league table, it’s fair to say they are now being seen in a new light.

“It’s a bit different to years in the past where perhaps we have been underdogs,” said Carter, who has made 84 appearances for the Gwent region since his 2020 debut.

“It’s nice to be going into these games with confidence. The group is full of it and we have earned that right.

“We are quite aware of what we are capable of. It’s a really talented squad.”

He added: “We were definitely pleased with the result last weekend. It was good to get the win and still be unbeaten.

“We have got to keep backing up good performances now. “There is still a lot to work on and we will have to keep improving if we are going to keep getting wins in the league.

“It’s good to build some momentum at the start of the season and we’ve got to carry that on.”

As for what he’s expecting from the Ospreys, the 6ft 6ins, 19st 3lbs second row said: “They are going to be physical.

“They are going to want a fight up front, but those are also things we really back ourselves with.

“It’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a scrap. We are just looking forward to that challenge.

“We love playing in these derbies, particularly at Rodney Parade. Playing against people you know is great.”

Carter says the Dragons supporters will have a big role to play once again.

“The are always really good, but I think they are probably at a level higher again for the derbies,” he said.

“The support is huge for us. We love it when the fans give us energy and we like to give back by putting in performances for them.”