Aaron Wainwright: Wales number eight ponders new Dragons deal
- Published
Dragons number eight Aaron Wainwright was man of the match against Scarlets
Wales number eight Aaron Wainwright says he is loving life at the Dragons as he ponders whether to sign a new deal with the region.
Wainwright, 26, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been offered a new Dragons deal after attracting interest outside of Wales.
When asked whether the Dragons is where he wants to be, Wainwright replied: "Yes, this is my home region.
"I am a Gwent boy but let's see what happens."
Wainwright marked his 100th Dragons appearance with a try-scoring player-of-the-match performance in the 13-12 win against Scarlets on New Year's Day.
The back row has played 43 times for Wales, including last year's World Cup, so would be available for international rugby if he decided to leave Dragons.
Those playing outside of Wales are now required to have 25 caps to represent their country after the number was dropped from 60 in February 2023.
"There are going to be a lot of tough conversations to be had," he said.
"You can't get too hung up on it too much otherwise it takes away from the rugby.
"I am enjoying my rugby here at the moment. I love playing for this side especially when we put in performances and get results like that (against Scarlets). I'm thoroughly enjoying it here."
Victory against Scarlets marked the first time since 2020 that Dragons had won three home games in a row and Wainwright was quick to thank the home crowd, especially after the disappointment of a 55-21 hammering at Cardiff on Boxing Day.
He said: "The home support has been incredible. There is no better place to play when the stadium is rocking like it was against Scarlets. It gave us that extra inch, especially in the closing minutes.
"It's about making this place hard to come to and fans definitely play their part in that. How noisy they were and how much they supported us was amazing.
"We had to thank them. We wanted to get the result for them against Scarlets and we did that."
Fellow Wales internationals Rio Dyer and Leon Brown are also out of contract with the Dragons at the end of the 2023-24 season, with the squad's budget initially reduced again from £5.2m to £4.5m.
"There are players we're desperate to keep," said Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan.
"We're a long way down the round now, hopefully we need some good news in January."
Moving parts?
Cardiff players Rhys Carre and Tomos Williams both played for Wales during the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Dragons are not the only other side battling to hold onto their players with Cardiff duo Tomos Williams and Rhys Carre linked with moves to Gloucester and Saracens.
Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt has admitted there will be player movement at the end of the season, while Ospreys boss Toby Booth has highlighted the lack of budget clarity after the 2024-25 campaign as a major issue in a barrier to offering long-term deals.
Centre George North has already announced he is leaving Ospreys to join Provence next season, while prop Nicky Smith is also attracting attention.
There are already a number of players based outside Wales from the 2023 World Cup squad.
Nick Tompkins, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tommy Reffell, Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza, Will Rowlands, Dillon Lewis, Tomas Francis and Henry Thomas are currently plying their club trade in England or France, while Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe signed for clubs in Japan.
Fly-half Rhys Patchell, who missed the global tournament last year, has signed for the Highlanders in New Zealand, while Leigh Halfpenny, who has retired from international rugby, will play for the Crusaders in 2024.