RHYS Thomas is excited to be Newport Gwent Dragons captain but the hooker knows he will have to be at his best if he is to lead from the front.

Thomas has succeeded Lee Byrne as skipper after sharing the responsibility with lock Rynard Landman for much of 2014/15 while the former Lions full-back was sidelined with a shoulder injury that forced him to retire.

The 33-year-old has a wealth of experience and has been excellent for the Dragons since returning to Wales from Wasps in 2013.

But the 27-times capped front row forward knows that the captaincy doesn't come with guarantees.

Last season he formed an excellent combination with Elliot Dee, one starting and the other adding energy from the bench, before the 21-year-old suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in January.

The pair will tussle for squad places with Hugh Gustafson, who was lively performance against Nottingham last weekend, and Rhys Buckley, who will soon be back in the mix following wrist surgery.

"It was clear when I took the role on that it doesn't mean my position is set in stone," said Thomas. "It's more a case of installing me as a figure for driving the culture forward.

"Nothing changes – whoever is in form will be playing because there are enough leaders in the squad to do the job if I am not in the side.

"It was a nice surprise to be named captain. I enjoyed doing it last year and think that I had a good response from the players.

"I always used to try and take the mick and moan for the sake of it but now I've got to try and be a bit more positive! Apart from that I like to do my leading by example."

Thomas, whose Dragons contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, is one of the most experienced players in the Guinness Pro12 but the desire burns as intensely as ever.

The former Cardiff Blues man said: "It's a lot different now, it's more of a break from the family and is easier than being in the house!

"But I've always enjoyed my rugby and the physical challenge is what keeps me going. I don't feel any different and I just want to keep performing."

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