"FOUR more years," said Newport Gwent Dragons prop Boris Stankovich, tongue firmly in cheek as he borrowed Barack Obama's slogan when responding to the question of how long left he has in the game.

The veteran loosehead has made quite an impact since heading to Rodney Parade from Leicester on a two-year deal in the summer of 2014.

The 36-year-old has an impressive poker face but one assumes it was in jest when he suggested he could take in another World Cup cycle.

"That'll take me to 40 and then I think I'll give it up then! It's my last season (under contract), we will see where we are at come Christmas and cross that bridge when we get to it," he said.

Stankovich has certainly started the season well, wearing 1 on his back in all seven fixtures.

While the Dragons have been struggling to finish off chances, their tight game has been solid and the New Zealander is content with their progress.

"I've been relatively pleased this season with how things have been going up front," he said. "We've had a few lineout wobbles but seem to have fixed that.

"We did a lot of work all of last season to change our perception in the Pro12 and I think that we've come a long way.

"We've still got a lot of young guys to come through yet and once the academy guys have stepped up it will be a job well done for me.

"But I am enjoyed my rugby at the moment, and long may it continue. I am 36 in two months and I am enjoying every game. I don't ever look ahead of what's on the weekend."

In playing terms that may be true with Sale the opposition in the European Challenge Cup opener at Rodney Parade on Sunday – "like all English teams they will be very good at the set piece and well drilled, we've got a lot of respect for them" – but Stankovich also has to think long term.

Part of his role at the Dragons is to help the next generation of props, the likes of Wales age-grade internationals Luke Garrett, Keagan Bale, Leon Brown and Alex Jeffries.

"In the front row you have to have older heads there because they are not positions like in the backs where players can have talent and get away with it," he said.

"The front row is an unforgiving place and you can easily get caught out at this level giving away penalties and getting on the wrong side of referees.

"Players have to learn pretty quickly and it's always good to have an older guy there to show them the ropes.

"It takes a long time to bring in a prop and teach them things while giving them games to understand their role in the scrum.

"My job, first and foremost, is to scrum. Everything else is a bonus. For me it's been about changing the mindset at the Dragons to scrummaging whereas before there were other things that were perhaps more important to them."

It's highly unlikely Stankovich will be at Rodney Parade in four years' time but his influence will still be felt.