After trying out for Wales for the first time, Ryan Woodman now wants more as he strengthens and looks to recover physically.
The Dragons RFC the flanker came on as a substitute in the uncapped international against Barbarians at Twickenham in June.
He was then packed alongside Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright and Dewi Lake, while going up against Faf de Klerk, George Norge and Virimi Vakatawa.
Now he aims to present his demands for inclusion in the team for Nations Championship to be named in three weeks, with an eye on his Test debut.
He has an ideal opportunity to make his case this Saturday when the Dragons play Scarlets in the high profile BKT URC Welsh Derby at Rodney Parade.
“It’s a big goal in my career now, to win the first game,” said the 22-year-old.
“I just want to continue in that positive direction and that’s going to happen by taking the feedback I’ve had from the Welsh coaches.
“They tell you what they are looking for and what you are trying to do to get into the team.
“That’s my goal this season, to work on what I’ve been told I need to work on.”
He elaborated: “I just want to be even more physically present on the pitch like that big six.
“I want to try to dominate other teams more. That’s my main goal this season.
“When I played against the Barbarians, the size of that pack was ridiculous. I think they had four or five players who weighed 130kg.
“The South African and Irish teams are really physical and we have equally physical players here at the Dragons.
“We’ve got 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 keeps a close eye on the scale.
“I’m just trying to put on some weight. I put on about two or three kilos over the summer,” he said.
“I go up and down quite a bit but now I’m trying to stay at a decent weight.
“I’m about 117kg (18st 4lbs). That’s probably the biggest I’ve ever been.”
Maintaining that weight presents special dietary challenges.
“The worst part of the job for me is eating. You have to eat decent food,” he said.
“I’ll be around the missus’ house at 10:00 p.m., trying to get chicken and rice down right before bed and then drinking 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’re a striker, especially, you have to have a certain weight.”
“Everybody’s big now, so you can’t afford not to be as big as you can be.”
Woodman was first invited to Wales team as a replacement for the injured Taine Plumtree during Six Nations and then came his participation against Baa-Baa.
“It was a really good experience, a lot of fun and I learned a lot from playing with the best players in Wales,” he said.
“The main thing for me was to see where I need to be to get to that level.
“The intensity of it is something I’ve never experienced. Obviously, professional rugby is intense, but the intensity of training with Wales is another level, another step up.”
The versatile Woodman entered the game against the Baa-Baas but is clear about where his positional future lies.
“I’d rather be a big six than a small second row,” he says.
“It’s always been six. I guess I can play second row if I have to. It doesn’t really change on the park for me.”
“You’re probably going to get more contact in the lock, but there’s no reason why you can’t do it in the six as well.
“The only real difference is the scrum time which is not nice in the second row!”
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
Well
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
In total
1
1
1
0
0
5
2
1
1
0
0
5
3
1
1
0
0
5
4
1
1
0
0
5
5
1
1
0
0
5
6
1
1
0
0
4
7
1
1
0
0
4
8
1
0
0
1
2
9
1
0
0
1
2
10
1
0
1
0
2
11
1
0
1
0
2
12
1
0
1
0
1
13
1
0
1
0
1
14
1
0
1
0
1
15
1
0
1
0
0
16
1
0
1
0
0
The 6ft 5ins Woodman started the new BKT URC season on the blindside as the Dragons secured a deserved 19-19 draw with Benetton Rugby in Travis last weekend.
That comes on the back of their four draws in the last league championship.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be optimistic based on the uptrend,” Woodman said.
“Everyone could see that there was a shift in performance last season, it’s just a shift in results.
“We’ve spent so much time together as a group and we know what we want from each other.
“There’s so much emphasis on our attack. We’re just hoping to play some comfortable rugby and turn those draws into wins.”
He added: “The Dragons are my priority and if Wales happen to play well for them then it happens.
“I just want to keep my head down and if it comes, it comes.”
Ahead of this weekend’s big clash with the Scarlets, he said: “The Welsh regions want nothing more than to beat each other. It’s only natural. You get up for the derby easily.”
