Ben Carter on six straight Wales starts: 'To get a run of games was brilliant'

Ben Carter has described his run of six consecutive Wales starts during the Six Nations as “brilliant”, saying the sustained selection gave him a new sense of belonging in the national squad — and that he is determined to earn more caps through strong domestic performances with the Dragons.

The 25-year-old lock from Caldicot began the Six Nations campaign on the bench before earning promotion to the starting XV, where he remained for the rest of the tournament. His combination of defensive intensity, hard carrying and lineout work has made him one of Wales’s most reliable forwards, a reputation underlined by his BKT URC Tackle Machine award from last season.

“I feel a little bit more established in the group,” Carter said. “When you start contributing on the field more, you feel more part of the group. I just love playing and to get a run of games for Wales was brilliant. It’s frustrating when it gets broken up by injuries or not being selected. I was just loving being involved and I would like to be again.”

His Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia, a former All Blacks forward, was effusive in his assessment of the lock’s character and professionalism. “He’s a very humble man. He’s a good pro and he has that quality of just always wanting to improve and get better,” Tiatia said. “He does the basics really well and he leads from the front. He doesn’t talk too much, but when he does talk, the group listens.”

Tiatia also revealed that Carter arrived for the new URC season without any pre-season matches under his belt, yet played a full 80 minutes when called upon. “He turned up last week and just said to me ‘I’m ready to go’,” the coach recalled. “I told him after the game I was thinking of taking him off and he was very disappointed hearing that.”

On Carter’s international ambitions, Tiatia added: “Ben is a proud Welshman and why wouldn’t he want to represent his country and continue wearing the red jersey, with the flames of the Welsh mentality and scrap and fight. This guy has a lot of that.”

Carter captained the Dragons to a 38-26 bonus-point win over the Scarlets last weekend, following an opening 19-19 draw away to Benetton Rugby. That unbeaten start to the URC campaign represents a marked shift in fortunes for a side that has spent several recent seasons near the foot of the table.

“It’s a bit different to years in the past where perhaps we have been underdogs,” Carter noted. The Dragons now host the Ospreys at Rodney Parade on Friday night, with Carter eager to keep both his regional and international momentum building.