ANYONE who dreams of playing international rugby should take inspiration from Dragons skipper Cory Hill.

That is the opinion of former Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies following second row Hill’s impressive acclimatisation to the Test match arena.

The 26-year-old has won 18 caps since making his Wales debut in November 2016 and was co-captain for this summer’s successful tour.

National team head coach Warren Gatland has hailed Hill’s improvement over the past 12 months on more than one occasion.

And player-turned-pundit Davies is also a big fan of the lock, stating: “Cory Hill has shown what he is capable of and is an inspiration to any youngster.

“He came in and no-one really knew who he was, but he has established himself and was maybe up there as player of the year in Wales with what he achieved and how he performed.

“If they look at him and take his attitude on board they’ll be a lot stronger for it.

“Cory should be an inspiration to all the Dragons players in terms of looking at what you can achieve from no expectations.

“He came out of nowhere and performed amazingly well, so anyone who aspires to play international rugby should have a look at Cory and how he has adapted himself to be a class international second row.”

The performances of Dragons speedster Hallam Amos on the Wales tour, which featured wins over South Africa and Argentina, also impressed Davies.

Amos started all three Tests at full-back and scored tries against the Springboks and Pumas.

Davies has high hopes for the 23-year-old, particularly when it comes to challenging for the 15 jersey.

“I thought Hallam Amos had a really good Wales tour and he has really put his hat into the ring for playing at full-back,” added Davies.

“He’s got a great kick on him, great skills, and the ability to really push himself forward for the number one spot in Wales with Liam Williams and Leigh Halfpenny.

“He made a significant impact on tour.”

*Jonathan Davies was speaking ahead of the Icons of Rugby Golf Tournament, which takes place at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham, England on July 28-29.

Twenty-four of the world's greatest rugby players are involved in the two-day event, which sees the southern hemisphere go up against their northern hemisphere counterparts.

Davies is joined by the legendary Sir Gareth Edwards and centre Tom Shanklin as the Welshmen to tee off.

Others in the northern team include Ireland's Johnny Sexton, Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Keith Wood, England's Lawrence Dallaglio, Mike Tindall, Sir Clive Woodward and Jeremy Guscott and Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg.

Those representing the southern hemisphere are All Black giants Zinzan Brooke, Grant Fox, Andrew Mehrtens and Christian Cullen, Springbok 2007 World Cup winners Bryan Habana, John Smit, Victor Matfield, Fourie Du Preez and coach Jake White, plus Wallaby 1999 World Cup winners George Gregan, Matthew Burke and Tim Horan.

Two major-winning non-playing PGA captains will be announced shortly to help the teams with the selection of pairings and match play strategy, while caddies will wear Masters-style boiler suits with a number chosen by each player.​

For further information about the event, visit icons-series.com