The two key forwards for the ‘Men of Gwent’ toured Australia together with Wales in the summer, although Wainwright missed the final game with a hamstring injury. Not before he had earned his 50th cap in the second Test against the Wallabies.
While Wainwright will be missing for the foreseeable future as he continues his re-hab, Carter will be in the thick of the action from Day 1 in the BKT United Rugby Championship, which is set to kick-off in spectacular style with a Welsh derby at Rodney Parade on Saturday 21 September against the Ospreys.
“Ben can be quite quiet but when he has something to say everyone listens and takes it on board. He leads by the way he plays,” said Wainwright.
“He has a good core group of players around him who have captained the side before and they will provide as much support or him as they can. It’s exciting to have his leadership going forward.
“It’s a big year for him because he was unlucky over the summer with his injury. If he gets back to where he was before that and kicks on at the start of the season, then there’s no reason why he can’t be pushing for a starting Wales jersey.
“I roomed with Ben in Australia, and he suffered a similar hamstring injury to me last season, so I’ve been able to ask him about the recovery process. It’s been good to chat with someone like him to gauge where I am at in terms of my own progress.”
The Dragons beat their Swansea-based rivals at Rodney Parade last season in front of a bumper crowd of 6,227. Their 20-5 triumph was the first of only three all season on home soil in the URC and followed a 32-25 triumph over the Ospreys in Newport the previous season.
“We need to hit the ground running when the season starts and use the games in pre-season as our platform for the Osprey,” added Wainwright.
“The Ospreys will be a good game to see where we are at. The first block can set you up for the season and if we start well then it will build belief and momentum.”
