MOST of Wales was on their feet toasting Louis Rees-Zammit after his stunning match-winning try against Scotland but it would be understandable if Jonah Holmes merely nodded his approval.

Competition for starts in the national side's back three has always been fierce but the emergence of a 20-year-old wing sensation has made it even fiercer.

Holmes moved to the Dragons from Leicester last summer in a bid to improve his Test chances.

The wing/full-back took his tally of caps to five with appearances off the bench in the Autumn Nations Cup but a head injury suffered at the Scarlets meant he missed out on the Six Nations.

Wayne Pivac instead plumped for Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams, Josh Adams, Rees-Zammit and former Dragon Hallam Amos, with George North still a contender for the flank as well as midfield.

Holmes, like fellow international hopefuls Ashton Hewitt, Owen Lane and Johnny McNicholl, just has to hope he can catch the eye and earn a recall.

TRY: Jonah Holmes scores for the Dragons against his old club Wasps

TRY: Jonah Holmes scores for the Dragons against his old club Wasps

"It's been frustrating watching Wales but it happens, I just have to take it on the chin," said the 28-year-old, who made his Test debut against Tonga in 2018.

"It's good to have players in your position doing well. It's hard to take sometimes but it ends up driving competition and making everybody a better player.

"I need to play regularly and show that I could be in the squad. I just need to play and hope that I take the next chance I get."

Holmes alludes to the fact that he hasn't quite hit the heights with the Dragons.

He may have impressed Pivac in the autumn – "he was mistake-free, ran strongly and was very physical" – but knows that he has to do more in club rugby.

Holmes has made nine appearances since heading to Wales from Leicester and has been a victim of the Dragons' struggles in attack.

He looked sharp when given a chance at the Scarlets on New Year's Day, only to then suffer a head injury that sidelined him until mid-February and contributed to his Test absence.

In seven PRO14 fixtures Holmes has made just four clean breaks and gone on the run 43 times.

Jonah Holmes claims a high ball for the Dragons

Jonah Holmes claims a high ball for the Dragons

"It has been a stop-start season for me so I hope to get involved in the games coming up," said the speedster, who was converted from scrum-half at London Welsh by ex-Dragons boss Lyn Jones in 2013.

"I've barely touched the ball and hopefully I can string some games together and do some running. It happens sometimes as a winger, there are just some games where you don't get much ball.

"You have to adapt your game to try and get your hands on the ball, and that's something I need to do in the next few weeks."

Holmes may be frustrated but has no regrets about swapping the Premiership for the PRO14 – "I love it here, it's been great" – and is relishing another taste of derby action.

The Dragons head to Bridgend to take on the Ospreys, bidding for a first win since beating Glasgow at the start of December.

Six of the eight losses have been in the league and last weekend's defeat to Zebre, despite a brace from Holmes, led to them dropping to the bottom of Conference A.

"The tries were dot-downs and it was a shame that they were in a game that wasn't good enough from us," said the winger.

"There has been a big reaction from us in training and we have to take that into the game."