JASON Tovey has admitted that he needed a kick up the rear after winning back the Newport Gwent Dragons number 10 jersey.

The 25-year-old was left out in the cold in October after making an indifferent start to the season and then misplacing his passport ahead of the European encounter with Stade Francais, a mishap that meant he was unable to be among the replacements in Paris.

Angus O'Brien, 20, shone in the terrific win at Stade Jean Bouin and then got the nod against Newcastle and Ulster while Dorian Jones, 22, came in for the fixtures against Harlequins, the Ospreys and Munster.

But Tovey, the leading points scorer in the region's history, earned a recall against Glasgow a fortnight ago and kept the jersey against Bucharest last weekend.

"It's nice to be back in the side and being left out was probably something I needed," he said. "It's similar to three years ago when I had got used to being picked so it was good to be given a kick up the backside and dropped.

"I've had to work hard in training to get the position back because Gus and Dorian played well when they had their chances.

"It's put a bit of pressure on me to perform well and keep the shirt. I have to keep working hard and keep improving."

Tovey pulled the strings in freezing conditions when the Dragons recovered from a sluggish start to beat Bucharest 37-10 last weekend.

They welcome the Wolves to Rodney Parade on Friday and another five-point haul will set up crunch January dates against Newcastle (away) and Stade Francais (home).

"It was nice to go into a game with the pressure on us to perform as favourites," said Tovey. "We have to do another good job on Friday and if we get another bonus point win then it will mean we go to Newcastle with it all in our own hands.

"We've upped our game since the Munster game (when beaten 38-12 at Rodney Parade) and now have to try and get on a roll against Bucharest and Zebre going into the Christmas derbies with Cardiff Blues."