LEWIS Evans admits it is mission impossible trying to replace superstar Taulupe Faletau but believes Newport Gwent Dragons have the back row balance to soften the blow of losing the Wales number eight.

The captain wore 8 on his back in last Friday's pre-season friendly victory against Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade, a fixture that was part of the beneficiary year for him and former Dragons centre Ashley Smith.

Head coach Kingsley Jones revealed in the build-up to the game that Evans would feature more prominently at the base of the scrum in 2016/17 following the departure of Faletau to Bath.

Given that the Pontypool-raised Lions ace has been a star on the Test scene since 2011, he's a hard act to follow but Evans, who was primarily a blindside flanker last season, hopes he has the skills to bring the best out of those around him.

"No-one can replace Toby, he's the best number eight in the northern hemisphere, if not the world," said the 29-year-old. "It's a very tough set of boots to fill, whether it's myself, Ed Jackson, or even young Harri Keddie.

"I'm not going to try and be Toby Faletau because no-one can. I'm just going to try and play my game and try and help blend the forwards and backs if you like.

"Cuddy (Nic Cudd) is going to do what he does, same as Ollie (Griffiths), and JT (James Thomas) and Ed, or whoever it is playing in the back row, will do their thing. I just need to complement that.

"One thing I've been good at is that I've been able to adapt throughout the years playing with Dan Lydiate and Toby.

"I went to seven and I had to change my game then. I think the seven position is covered this year because we've got really good strength in depth there.

"Whether I'm playing six or eight, I'm just going to play my game. I'll probably have to increase the ball carrying a little bit because that's something we do need."

The Dragons beat the Blues 38-28 thanks to tries by lock Rynard Landman, hooker Elliot Dee, wing Adam Hughes, flanker Cudd and hooker Rhys Thomas.

On Saturday they host Ealing Trailfinders at Ystrad Mynach (kick-off 3pm) as they continue their preparations for the Guinness Pro12 opener at Ulster.

After a horror 2015/16 in which the Dragons won just four games, Evans is confident of providing much more cheer for supporters this season.

He said: "I'm looking forward to developing and being part of the team which, being perfectly honest, can only go one way, and I genuinely think that we can.

"We've got a nice blend of senior players and some outstanding young talent coming through as well.

"I'm excited and with the way things have gone off the field with the coaching staff everything is quite positive. One thing we are going to do is play some positive rugby."

Evans is ready for his second spell as captain after leading the side in 2012/13 but knows he has plenty of experienced heads around him.

"When quite a lot of our quality senior players left a few years ago it was down to myself and Ashley Smith to step up to the plate," he said.

"I've been a part of it for quite a long time but this year I've got the likes of Nick Crosswell and TRT around me.

"We've got a really good team of senior players and we've got to make sure we lead the youngsters by example, doing the right things on and off the field so we create good discipline. I'm excited because these youngsters are buying into it."