TAINE Basham has earned a shot at winning a first Wales cap thanks to learning to do the dirty work along with the "sparkly bits", according to the dynamic back rower's boss at the Dragons.
The 21-year-old from Talywain was selected by Wayne Pivac on Monday for the summer Tests against Canada and Argentina.
Basham is no stranger to the international camp and has a crack at winning his first cap after showing impressive form since returning from a fractured forearm suffered in January.
The hot prospect burst onto the scene with his strong ball-carrying and earned a first call from Pivac in November 2019 after scoring a hat-trick for the Dragons against French big guns Castres and was called up for last year's Six Nations.
However, director of rugby Dean Ryan believes the back rower has prospered from honing the skills that won't go viral but are needed to be a top-class openside.
DYNAMIC: Taine Basham on the charge for the Dragons
"Taine came through his development years as a number eight who was very influential with the ball, getting a lot of highlights for things that are easy on the eye," he said.
"He made the shift to seven and some of the things that you don't see so easily become a priority. That's a difficult shift for a young man and we have made it a real priority for Taine and he has engaged in that.
"They are key parts that he needs to get right to keep improving and at the same time you still want some of his sparkly bits. He has done that balance really well in recent games and needs to keep working hard at them."
With the Dragons boasting Aaron Wainwright, Ross Moriarty, Ollie Griffiths and Harrison Keddie as options in the back row, Ryan is looking for Basham to concentrate on the dark arts as an openside.
"At seven the ball is right in front of you all the time and it's quite an instinctive position," said the former England forward.
"You can't shift into organisation very quickly, you have to stay very hard on that ball. We have seen Taine has the attributes to work as an eight but we will leave him where he is at openside to keep developing."
BLOW: Taine Basham suffered a fractured forearm at the Scarlets
Basham got the nod ahead of fellow bright prospects Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan with Pivac impressed by his potential and all-round ability.
"Taine has been on the radar for over 12 months because his performances last season were outstanding
"Unfortunately he lost a bit of momentum with a fractured arm this year but how he's come back has probably given Wayne some confidence that he is still on that trajectory. Some of his entries off the bench in the last few weeks have been outstanding.
"We've got a pretty competitive back row at the Dragons and for Taine to be considered within that group he has had to be at his best."
Basham will battle Wainwright, Moriarty, James Botham, Josh Navidi and Josh Turnbull for caps.
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