Ross Moriarty: Dragons hope Wales back row will feature again this season

Dragons back row Ross Moriarty was taken off on a stretcher against Sharks

Dragons are hoping Ross Moriarty will be available again this season after suffering a knee injury against Sharks last weekend.

Moriarty was taken off on a stretcher in the first half of the 51-3 loss with the Wales back row in a lot of pain.

A long-term absence was feared but scans have shown nerve damage rather than structural issues.

The 2017 British and Irish Lions pick should be available for Wales' three-Test tour of South Africa in July.

"It is good news I think," said Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan.

"Absolutely, we would expect him to play again this season.

"Structurally everything is okay. I think he's had damage to a nerve, which is very painful, and he heard a pop in his knee, which is very stressful for him.

"I think the damage to his nerve is significant, but we were all holding our breath waiting for bad news structurally.

"We're still finding out a bit as nerve damage isn't straightforward as something else, but the news that his knee is structurally in good shape is good news."

Ryan admitted the region had been braced for bad news.

"Everyone was concerned for what the outcome was for Ross," said Ryan.

"To see the significant pain he was in, anyone watching would have expressed concern about what was next and nobody likes to see somebody going through that amount of discomfort.

"At the moment we're in a space where we don't know a huge amount about what is next, but we're also in a space where we're relieved as it's not as bad as we feared.

"As we get through the next week, we should get more information and better understanding."