Woodman piling on the pounds as he sets sight on Wales cap

Simon Thomas

Having had a first taste of playing for Wales, Ryan Woodman now wants more as he beefs up and looks to get physical.

The Dragons RFC flanker came on as a replacement in the uncapped international against the Barbarians at Twickenham in June.

That saw him packing down alongside Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright and Dewi Lake, while going up against the likes of Faf de Klerk, George Norge and Virimi Vakatawa.

Now he is aiming to press his claims for inclusion in the squad for the Nations Championship which will be named in three weeks time, with an eye on making his Test debut.

He has an ideal opportunity to state his case this Saturday when the Dragons take on the Scarlets in a high-profile BKT URC Welsh derby at Rodney Parade.

“It’s a big goal in my career right now, getting that first cap,” said the 22-year-old.

“I just want to keep going in that positive direction and that’s going to happen by taking the feedback I have had from the Welsh coaches.

“They tell you what they are looking for and what your work-ons are to get in the squad.

“That’s my aim this season, to work on what I’ve been told I need to work on.”

He elaborated: “I just want to be even more of a physical presence on the pitch as that big six role.

“I want to try and dominate other teams more. That’s the main goal for me this season.

“When I played against the Barbarians, the size of that pack was ridiculous. I think they had four or five players that were 130kgs.

“The South African and Irish sides are really physical and we have equally physical players here at the Dragons.

“We have people like Levi Douglas and Harrison Keddie. I personally wouldn’t want to tackle them!

“Ben Carter, for example, is just such a physical player. That’s where I want to be with my game.”

With that in mind, Woodman is keeping a close eye on the scales.

“I am just trying to pack on the weight. I’ve added about two or three kgs over the summer,” he said.

“I go up and down quite a lot, but I am trying to stay at a decent weight now.

“I’m at about 117kgs (18st 4lbs). It’s probably the biggest I’ve ever been.”

Dietary challenges

Maintaining that weight does present particular dietary challenges.

“The worst part about the job for me is eating. You have to eat decent food as well,” he said.

“I’ll be round the missus’ house at 10pm, trying to slog chicken and rice down just before going to bed and then having a protein shake. I don’t enjoy it.

“But the game is getting bigger and bigger. People are getting stronger and heavier. So if you are a forward, especially, you have to be a certain weight.

“Everyone is big now, so you can’t really afford not to be as big as you can.”

Woodman was first called up to the Wales squad as a replacement for the injured Taine Plumtree during the Six Nations and then came his involvement against the Baa-Baas.

“It was a really good experience, a load of fun and I learnt a lot from being around the best players in Wales,” he said.

“The main thing for me was seeing where I need to be to get to that level.

“The intensity of it is something I had never experienced. Obviously, professional rugby is intense, but the intensity of training with Wales is another level, another step up.”

Versatile

The versatile Woodman came on as a lock against the Baa-Baas, but he is clear where his positional future lies.

“I would rather be a big six than a small second row,” he says.

“It’s always been six. I just suppose I can play second row if I need to. It doesn’t really change much for me around the park.

“You probably get more contact at lock, but there’s no reason why you can’t do that at six as well.

“The only real difference is scrum time which is not nice in the second row!”

The 6ft 5ins Woodman kicked off the new BKT URC season on the blindside as the Dragons secured a creditable 19-19 draw with Benetton Rugby in Treviso last weekend.

Draws

That comes on the back of their four draws in the league last term.

“There is no reason why we shouldn’t be optimistic based on the upward trend,” said Woodman.

“Everyone could see there was a shift in performances last season, it’s just about shifting the results.

“We’ve had so much time together now as a group and we know what each other want.

“There is so much emphasis on our attack. We just hope to play enjoyable rugby and turn those draws into wins.”

He adds: “The Dragons are my priority and if Wales happens from playing well for them, then it happens.

“I just want to put my head down and if it comes it will come.”

On this weekend’s big clash with the Scarlets, he said: “The Welsh regions want nothing more than to beat each other. It’s just a natural thing. You do easily get up for the derbies.”

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