DRAGONS target Will Rowlands says he will be playing in Wales next season so he can continue his Test career – with a move to Rodney Parade an “definitely an option”.

The 29-year-old will win his fifth cap when partnering Alun Wyn Jones in the second row against Italy on Saturday.

The 6ft 8ins lock has earned a shot on the international stage thanks to his exploits with Wasps but his contract at the English Premiership runners-up expires at the end of the season.

That will leave Rowlands having to move to Wales to continue to be part of Wayne Pivac’s set-up as he falls well short of the 60 caps needed to earn selection while playing in another country.

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The Dragons have targeted him to boost their tight five and it looks like he will be swapping Coventry for Newport.

“I do have a decision to make and steps are moving forward, it looks like I will be playing in Wales from next season, from next summer,” said Rowlands.

When asked if a move to the Dragons was on the cards, the lock said: “That’s definitely an option, I’m interested in exploring that for sure.”

The arrival of Rowlands would be a welcome boost for director of rugby Dean Ryan, who saw Wales forward Cory Hill leave for Cardiff Blues last summer.

Matthew Screech, Joe Davies, Joe Maksymiw and bright prospect Ben Carter are currently the locks on the books.

The deal is even more attractive given that he would probably be on Pivac's list of 38 Test players, leading to the Welsh Rugby Union contributing 80 per cent of his wages with the rest coming out of the playing budget.

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Rowlands, who qualifies for Wales through his father from Pontllanfraith, is set for an even quicker appearance at Rodney Parade when Wasps take on the Dragons next Saturday in the European Champions Cup opener.

The region's pursuit of the towering forward has been helped by the lure of the 2023 World Cup in France.

"It would be amazing to go to a World Cup, it's a few years away but it is definitely a personal aim of mine," said Rowlands, who has been joined in the autumn squad by locks Alun Wyn Jones, Hill, Jake Ball and Seb Davies.