Ross Moriarty could play again this season after scans revealed no significant damage from a knee injury that left him screaming in agony.
The Wales back-row sustained the knee injury in the first-half of the Dragons' 51-3 defeat to the Sharks in Durban, with it seeming likely he would face yet another lengthy spell out of the game.
The match was halted and the back rower's agonising screams were heard inside the stadium after he got stuck in an awkward position whilst making a tackle. After receiving lengthy treatment that resulted in the 27-year-old being carted off the pitch, he underwent scans at the start of this week to assess the damage.
Thankfully, those scans revealed that there was no major damage to Moriarty's knee - leaving the door open for a swift return to action.
"Structurally everything is ok," said Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan. "I think he's had damage to a nerve, which is very painful, and he heard a pop in his knee, which is very stressful for him.
"I think the damage to his nerve is significant, but we were all holding our breath waiting for bad news structurally. We're still finding out a bit as nerve damage isn't straightforward as something else. But the news that his knee is structurally in good shape is good news."
And when asked if the hard-hitting back-row, who had shown up well in the early stages of the match against the Sharks, could feature again this season, Ryan was very positive in his assessment.
"Absolutely," he added. "We don't know what the nerve and whether it trapped or whatever. But the fact it's not structural and hasn't ruled him out is something we can continue to work through. Absolutely, we would expect him to play again this year.
"Everyone of us was really concerned for what the outcome was for Ross. To see the significant pain he was in, anyone watching would have expressed concern about what was next.
"At the moment, we're in a space where we don't know a huge amount about what is next, but we're also in a space where we're quite relieved as it's not as bad as we feared. As we get through the next week, we should get more information and better understanding."
"For me, I'm just relieved for him. I'm sure that's from a Wales perspective as well as a Dragons perspective as no one likes to see somebody going through that amount of discomfort."
The news comes as a massive boost to the Dragons and Wales. Moriarty's return before the end of the season would only strengthen the struggling Gwent side's chances of avoiding their worst season, having won just once so far this campaign.
And the presence of Moriarty in a Welsh squad to South Africa is something Wayne Pivac will be relying on, given the challenge the current world champions will pose this summer.
