FORMER Dragons number eight Ed Jackson will return to his old stamping ground tomorrow afternoon to run the rule over his old teammates as a television pundit.

The hard-running back row forward made 36 appearances for the region before retiring after breaking his neck in a swimming pool accident in April, 2017.

After being told he may never walk again the 29-year-old has made an astonishing recovery and earlier this year climbed Snowdon.

Jackson will be part of the Premier Sports team for the Guinness PRO14 clash with Southern Kings.

"I've got lot of good friends at the region and in Welsh rugby so it will be great to be back at Rodney Parade this weekend," said Jackson.

"The crowds there have always been amazing and supportive so really looking forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday afternoon.

“They have a promising squad this season who can produce the goods and I hope we see a turnaround starting at home this weekend which is a must-win for them.

“There’s a lot of potential at the Dragons and let’s hope they’ll start to show that with good results in coming weeks.”

Jackson leaves for France on Sunday as he prepares to climb Mont Buet in Switzerland, which at 10,000 feet is three times the height of Snowdon.

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The former number eight has also been coaching in schools and with women’s rugby teams to stay in the sport and is now relishing the chance to provide his expertise with Premier Sports.

He said: “It’s really great just to be actively involved in professional rugby again.

“Getting my independence back and walking has been a huge landmark and now to be back connected in rugby and with the energy around live match days in the PRO14 is exciting.

“I’m really looking forward to this opportunity with Premier Sports. They’ve got a great team of commentators together who are really experienced, so just hoping I can add to that!

“After the accident I wasn’t initially sure how I was going to react when I watched rugby, I thought it may have been too painful knowing I could never be on the pitch again, too hard to watch and that I may want to distance myself from the game.

“But actually throughout my recovery, I realised it was something that helped me focus and recover mentally.

“It’s funny not being a pro player anymore - I’ve become a TV rugby fan and enjoy seeing the game from another perspective.

“It’s on all the time in our house which probably isn’t great for my wife Lois – but it’s really important to me to be involved in the game, so to be offered commentary work is something I’m very excited about.”

Premier Sports, is the home of the Guinness PRO14 in the UK and will be showing all 152 games from the Guinness PRO14 this season.

Rugby fans can subscribe on Sky or the Premier Sports Player for £9.99 per month with the first month free. Visit premiersports.com to sign up to see all the live action.

Go to edjackson8.com for news about Jackson’s recovery and fundraising.