The Dragons claimed the regional result of the weekend, with their first league victory since January. Geraint Powell was there to see it and believes the players’ win over Connacht backed up the impressive efforts of those behind the scenes.

 

I outlined last week why elite non-Test match rugby in Gwent has always been best played and generated the best atmosphere under evening floodlights (https://www.dai-sport.com/15203-2/), and Friday evening at a rocking Rodney Parade did not disappoint as the Dragons secured a 21-8 win over 2015-16 champions Connacht. 

In an impressive first-half attacking performance, the Dragons dominated and raced to a 21-3 lead through tries by Hallam Amos and man of the match Elliot Dee, plus the boot of Gavin Henson. 

But what will have pleased head coach Bernard Jackman the most was the second half resilience, in weathering the inevitable Connacht fightback and securing a convincing victory.

As the Irish side increasingly retained possession and as the injuries mounted – with Zane Kirchner, Tyler Morgan and even replacement Jared Rosser leaving the field – a makeshift back line, that included Dorian Jones at inside centre and scrum-half Sarel Pretorius on the left wing, held firm. 

Henson was the steadying old head at outside-half, Jack Dixon unrelentingly chopped down danger man Bundee Aki in an impressive defensive tackling display, and the return of Welsh summer tourist Ollie Griffiths was just the boost the forwards needed at the breakdown.   

There was even an impressive line break from, of all people, makeshift loose-head prop Brok Harris (both covering for the currently injured Sam Hobbs and giving potential future star Leon Brown valuable game time on the tight head side).

Obviously, the downside for Jackman, with a limited squad, will be the additional injuries and particularly the shoulder injury to Kirchner (albeit Carl Meyer has been playing for Ebbw Vale RFC and will soon be ready to return to regional duty).

Hobbs and Lewis Evans remain some distance from availability for selection, with Sam Beard injured against Edinburgh and Nic Cudd is out for probably the entire season after the Leinster match.     

Yet one still cannot help but fully agree with Jackman’s comments to Ireland’s RTE (https://www.dai-sport.com/bernard-jackman-says-felt-sorry-cash-starved-dragons/), that existing players should first be given an opportunity to perform in his new environment after a number of years of operating within a cash-stressed business.  This is a long-term project for Gwent, not a quick fix. 

Chief Executive Stuart Davies and new Chairman David Buttress will have been pleased, given a team that had not won a match since January, with a crowd of 5,069 for their “preferred Friday night slot” to “avoid clashes with (their) district clubs” as a sensible long-term support growth strategy.   

Whilst not the size of the opening weekend crowd against Leinster, albeit that was a crowd cleverly inflated by additional freebies and including season ticket holders bringing a guest for free, it was a great start in making Rodney Parade the place to be on a Friday evening.

It was a significant uplift from the 3,841 crowd for the corresponding third round home league match against Munster last season and one that has not been built on playing success over the subsequent 12 months. 

Over time – and when deciding whether to additionally emotionally invest in supporting their region – club players, volunteers and supporters can make their decision safe in the knowledge that their region does not want to commercially compete with their beloved club on a Saturday afternoon and with an ever-growing body of evidence in support of this commitment by the region.  

New era, new generation at the Dragons.

Whilst the other three regions were all losing this weekend, albeit that defending champions Scarlets had a very difficult away fixture against Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday evening, the Dragons evolution/revolution is slowly taking shape. 

The model is not based upon benefactor “hobby horsing”, a model that all too frequently ends at the professional game level in tears when the benefactor finally exits the scene, but rather upon building a sustainable small country linked-up representative regional rugby model with additional value-added private investment in terms of financial commitment and commercial expertise. 

Money is being spent, but initially prudently and upon creating a culture and environment.

As well as head coach Jackman, a defence coach has been appointed (Hendre Marnitz from the Blue Bulls province of South Africa) and a skills coach (Barry Maddocks from Bath).

Signings will follow, once the financial base has been established and required player reinforcements fully identified. 

Regional engagement is gradually accelerating, notably through coaching sessions for club coaches but also assisted by the dedicated volunteers of the Dragons Official Supporters Club (DOSC) and always ably led by Chairman Brad Hayward. 

Once again there were plenty of age grade teams at the region’s match, with numerous half-time mini-rugby contests, and notably the Jesters girls cluster from Blaenau Gwent were down.

The Burnett Suite at Rodney Parade is slowly being turned into a regional supporters’ bar, slowly filling with regional memorabilia to celebrate the region’s rugby history across all clubs.   

Bernard Jackman says he has a three-year plan for the Dragons. Pic: Getty Images.

Another new initiative of the DOSC is the “Valleys bus”, to assist with remedying public transport deficiencies out in the regional hinterland and which includes a very Cardiff-centric rail network across the western parts of Gwent.   

I suspect this may eventually grow into an extensive coach network for outlying supporters across Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Caerphilly councils, as the team gradually becomes stronger.

The key is developing a sensible commercial model that pays for itself and avoids a direct financial cross-subsidy from the core regional rugby business e.g. ‘user pays’ at cost price and/or corporate sponsorship and/or maybe even some public funding contribution.  

The Dragons have a difficult task in Belfast on Friday evening, and nobody would criticise Jackman if he wrote-off the match against Ulster and focussed his attention on the visit a week later of the Southern Kings of Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. 

With S4C having selected that match for their 7.35pm Saturday evening slot, I suspect that some club fans will avail themselves of the opportunity of a club/region double-header and head down that evening for a rare visit to Wales by a South African non-Test rugby team.   

I am certainly looking forward to this match, after watching Pontypool RFC welcome Narberth RFC in the afternoon.

No doubt Rodney Parade will again be rocking under the floodlights.