NG Dragons wing Hallam Amos ready to fight for Wales spot
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Newport Gwent Dragons wing Hallam Amos says he will have to "keep pushing" for a place on the summer tour of New Zealand after the frustration of his Six Nations experience.
Amos was replaced after just 48 minutes of his tournament debut against Italy.
"It was frustrating, I'm not going to lie, I would have liked to have a full 80 and a good run," admitted Amos.
"But it's always nice to make my debut and I'm only 21 so I've got time on my side."
Halfpenny back?
Amos was one of four wings used by Wales in the 2016 Six Nations alongside ever-present George North, Tom James and Alex Cuthbert.
Blues wing Cuthbert has been ruled out of the summer matches against England and New Zealand after having surgery on a knee injury.
And Amos has been in prolific form since returning to his region, scoring two tries in each of the Dragons' Pro12 games against Edinburgh and Ospreys.
However, he is cautious about the value of his regional form in the competition for back-three places in Warren Gatland's team.
"There's a certain Leigh Halfpenny coming back for the summer tour and he's one of the best players in the world so he'll come straight back into the jersey," he said.
"I can keep pushing for my place, get on the summer tour and hopefully test myself against the world's best.
"In Welsh rugby things can change in a matter of days, there's so many players playing well.
"There's so much competition you can't count your chickens before the squad's announced."
Dragons director of rugby Lyn Jones labelled Amos' performance against the Ospreys as "his best game for us" while Ospreys backs coach Gruff Rees said his finishing was "world-class."
Kingsholm test
Amos' eye for the line will be one of the Dragons' main assets as they head to Gloucester for a European Challenge Cup quarter-final, with both teams on a losing run.
"I prefer it when we play an expansive game, we can create things when we play with a bit of width.
"I hope we can go to Gloucester, not go into our shells and give the fans something good to watch.
"I've never played there but a lot of the boys who went to my school (Monmouth) were from the Gloucester and Forest of Dean area and are big Gloucester fans- so they'll be hoping I muck up!
"The rivalry will add a bit of spice."
Studies on hold
Medical student Amos, who is trying to follow the example of Jamie Roberts in qualifying as a doctor while playing professional rugby, is hoping to be free of his studies during the summer Tests.
"I was talking to (Ospreys flanker) Sam Underhill about this, he's at university as well and he's swamped with exams," he added.
"But we do three exams in the third year, you have to pass two and luckily I've already passed two so I'm in a fairly comfortable position at the moment."
