NEWPORT Gwent Dragons will hope a more settled Taulupe Faletau can inspire them when they welcome Ulster to Rodney Parade on Sunday, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 24-year-old Lions number eight had hoped to be playing in the Aviva Premiership this season but the Welsh Rugby Union denied the Dragons the chance to sell him before his contract expires next summer.

Faletau was brought straight back into the XV by the Rodney Parade side against the Scarlets on Friday but endured a tough evening against the Guinness Pro12 leaders.

The Dragons produced a sloppy performance in a 25-15 loss and the Wales ace, who had a majestic World Cup, joined in with a number of uncharacteristic handling errors in an hour-long display.

“It was a tough week for Toby,” said Connor, who was fly-half at the Dragons when Faletau broke into the senior set-up in 2009.

“He has not trained a lot with us but he came back earlier in the week and he was keen to play which sums him up as a bloke and a person.

“He is a top fella and couldn’t wait to get out there to play for us.”

The Dragons will hope that Faletau will benefit from getting what was always going to be a challenging first game back out of the way.

They will need the Pontypool-raised forward to be at his best to help them try and repeat last season’s stunning win against Ulster.

The Dragons are yet to concede a try at home after victories against the Italian pair of Zebre and Treviso but are sure to be tested more sternly by the men from Belfast, who crossed the whitewash four times to leave Munster with two bonus points from a 32-28 loss on Friday.

“There are no easy games and we need to look at ourselves more than the opposition. We need to get our own house in order and the buck stops with us,” said Connor.

“The players want to get better and understand the mistakes collectively and individually are not acceptable and we are working hard to put them right.”