DIRECTOR of rugby Rob Beale knows that only having Toby Faletau join up with Wales could be a blessing in disguise, but it doesn’t make the disappointment of having his Newport Gwent Dragons ignored any easier to take.

Whichever way you slice it, the Dragons are having a miserable time of things at the moment, sitting second from bottom in the RaboDirect PRO12 as well as losing in the Amlin Challenge Cup to London Wasps and Bayonne.

And this poor form has been reflected in Rob Howley’s Wales squad with Faletau the only Dragon to make the cut.

They say every cloud has a silver lining and the disappointment of the region lagging behind on the international stage means that their already small squad will not be too disturbed.

But for Beale that is scant consolation and he admits their current predicament could spell bad news for attracting players to Rodney Parade in the near future.

“Our aim is to get as many players as we can in that Wales shirt,” said Beale, who was speaking at the LV=Cup launch in Swindon.

“We had five players in the Wales squad last year which was a massive boost for us.

“But this year we only have Toby that has made it. Dan Lydiate would have been there if he had not picked up his injury but it still is not good enough. It’s probably a reflection of where we are.

“The plus side of it is that we are only without Toby but the downside is that we have not got as much representation as we would like. Tom [Prydie] was disappointed he didn’t make it and I think that he is a victim of our poor start.

“We want as many players involved in the national set up as we can because that attracts others and right now we are in a bit of a hole.”

Beale’s chance to utilise every inch of his squad arrives with the LV= Cup this weekend and a trip to Bath before the Northampton Saints come to Rodney Parade.

“We have always viewed the LV= Cup as a way to blood in exciting new talent,” Beale added. “But if I am honest we are in a position where we need to take a different view this year so I don’t think you will see too many youngsters appearing in these fixtures.

“It will be senior squad members featuring in the competition as we need to start building momentum.

“The Rec is a difficult place to play but it is an opportunity to start with a clean slate. We will be looking to get some confidence from this competition and start putting in the performances and also getting the results we so desperately need.”

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