Simon Thomas
For try-machine Elliot Dee, rugby these days is all about enjoyment and not overthinking things.
The Dragons RFC hooker certainly looks to be relishing life given how he has started the season.
He is the top try scorer in the BKT URC with five, having demonstrated his expertise at the back of the lineout drives which are such a big weapon in the game at present.
At 32, the 56-cap Welsh international is approaching the veteran stage and appears to be making the most of every minute.
Injuries have limited him to 24 outings for his region over the past three seasons, but now he is fit, firing and delivering the goods, with one Player of the Match award already in the bag.
He has played a significant part in the Dragons’ positive start to the campaign – which has seen them pick up two wins and a draw from their first four matches – and he will be a key figure once again in this Saturday’s BKT URC derby clash with the Ospreys at St Helen’s.
Given his fine form, there has been some surprise expressed at his omission from the Wales squad for the Nations Championship.
But Dee will just get his head down and keep cracking on, having learned to put the sport in a proper perspective.
“At the end of the day, this is a game of rugby played by 30 blokes on the field,” said the Newport-born forward.
“It’s really important, but it’s not the most important thing in life.
“I am just trying to turn up and do my job as best I can and not think too much about things and try to perform for the team.
“I’m enjoying turning up for work. I’m proud to be from Gwent and to play for the Dragons.
“We talk a lot about doing it for the people in the stands and for our families in the stands.”
All of Dee’s five league tries have come off close-range lineout mauls, including successive derby doubles against the Scarlets and the Ospreys.
“We really worked on it in pre-season,” he said.
“It was a bit of a weapon of ours at the end of last season. Working hard at the things you are good at usually pays dividends.
“We’ve got a really competitive squad and our unit sessions are really good. Our starting team against the rest of the squad is setting us up nicely for the weekend.
“I’ve been lucky enough to dot a few down off the back of the boys’ hard work.”
The start of the season has seen a host of tries off driving lineouts amid new World Rugby guidelines about defenders swimming around the side of the maul.
“I think it definitely gives the attacking team the advantage,” said Dee.
“As soon as you roll and slip off the side, you have to get out of there, so it’s hard to stop.
“You are retreating round the back and that gives a second or two of less weight and teams are capitalising.
“I think it’s a good rule. It’s certainly been effective at the start of the season.”
The Dragons head for Swansea this weekend to take on an Ospreys team who are playing their first game at their newly redeveloped St Helen’s home.
Revenge
For the visitors, it will be a revenge mission given they lost 38-31 to the Ospreys at Rodney Parade in Round 3, with the lead changing hands multiple times.
“The boys were really gutted. It was sickening. It was a game we could have won,” said Dee.
“Fair play to the Ospreys, they won that game and we lost it. There were chances for both teams to pull away and that’s what they did.
“Their pack was big and heavy and we perhaps didn’t move them around as much as we wanted to. The game was a little bit stop-start. We didn’t take our opportunities. “But, fair play to them, they played really well. They did what they do best and they came out on top.”
Pivotal
Dee will be a pivotal man for the Dragons as they head west, with coach Filo Tiatia full of praise for his efforts.
“Elliot has come back from a few niggles and worked really hard on parts of his game,” he said.
“I am really enjoying watching him play and lead.”
The Dragons will travel to Swansea buoyed by their 29-14 European Challenge Cup victory at home to Perpignan last weekend, with Dee coming on as a half-time replacement to help turn around an interval deficit.
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