CONFUSION reigned following a May fixture at Rodney Parade in which Hugh Gustafson's try had just helped earn a smidgen of revenge for a European semi-final defeat.

"In the Pro12, Catalan Dragons beat Edinburgh 19-5," said a Scottish voice on 5Live's 10.30pm sports bulletin. Not only the wrong club but the wrong code.

BT Sport, main sponsors on the front of both sets of jerseys that evening, had it different.

"Newport dent Edinburgh hopes," said the headline on their website, sharing an approach used by Stade Francais to market the Challenge Cup game at the Stade Jean Bouin, Newcastle on the fixture board outside Kingston Park and Wasps when announcing the departures of new recruits Charlie Davies and Ed Jackson.

The Newport Gwent Dragons name has always led to a variety of different approaches – a fresh one was added at the Singha Premiership 7s at Cardiff Arms Park last weekend when they were introduced as "Newport and Gwent Dragons" – but it isn't going to change any time soon and has no impact on the field as professional players don't care about such things.

Nonetheless, the emphasis of how the club is marketed close to home remains something that needs to be addressed.

A group of supporters attempted that at a Newport RFC meeting last week, asking chief executive Stuart Davies and chairman Will Godfrey why there was a strategy that they see as being loaded towards Gwent at the expense of the city where the professional team is based.

Such moves have to be applauded, regardless of whether you are Newport, Gwent or Dragons.

It is good for any board to be questioned with their decisions scrutinised, especially as a long-running accusation at the Dragons hierarchy is that they have lacked ambition.

And the organisation's policies need to be with the aim of gaining something tangible; goodwill from the sofa doesn't help pay the bills.

Go to the Dragons' training base in Ystrad Mynach, where they hosted Nottingham last Friday, and on the walls the logos, like on the away jersey, are simply the 'tail' without the names that sit above and below the official emblem.

It follows introduction a few years ago of the 'Men of Gwent' nickname and Monmouthshire-inspired blue and black kit but they must not fall into the trap of trying to 'represent' people throughout the region.

Head to the Clive Burgess Terrace at Eugene Cross Park and those standing next to you, even if they are not fiercely anti-Dragons, will tell you that it's their Ebbw Vale squad who represent them.

It's a risky strategy to potentially alienate where their core support hails from and one hopes that it is based on actual research and data, something that previous chief executive and now Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies said was lacking when he started up at Rodney Parade.

The landscape of rugby has changed massively since 2003 and everything must be geared towards maximising revenue and being a well-run business.

Whatever direction Newport Gwent Dragons go in – whether to concentrate on trying to lure in support from outside of Newport or to try and regain the backing of lapsed fans in the city – it must be made with that in mind rather than on whim or based on romantic ideals.

 

South Wales Argus:

PICTURE the scene. Newport Gwent Dragons head into a trio of derbies in April with European Champions Cup rugby within their grasp.

It’s still up for grabs after the clash with the Ospreys at Rodney Parade and tussle with Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park.

Another win should do it... and they’ve given up home advantage for their clash against the Scarlets in the penultimate round.

Judgement Day is a worthy idea in many ways and the date boosts the coffers of the eastern clubs, but it comes at a cost.

In all six games so far the ‘home’ side has been beaten with west proving to be best. It’s effectively starting the season with a handicap.

The Dragons have yet to register a single point from their league fixtures at the Millennium Stadium after two losses to the Scarlets (28-20 and 29-10) and one to the Ospreys (20-10).

It would be nice if the western rivals could take a hit one year or even make it two dates per season in the capital. Think of it as being for the good of Welsh rugby (copyright: Roger Lewis).

Fingers crossed the Dragons will break their Judgement Day duck on Saturday, April 30 because there will be plenty of frustration if defeat is compounded by being pipped to qualification for Europe’s premier tournament.

Rodney Parade punters already forego one fixture a season and won’t be chuffed if they lose a fixture against Toulon, Clermont, Leicester or Saracens for one against Calvisano, El Salvador or Baia Mare.

 

A PUSH for the premier European competition doesn’t seem so fanciful in the coming season.

Newport Gwent Dragons will profit from only losing a maximum of three players to the World Cup and boast a stronger looking squad than in past years.

Midfield and the back row are areas of real strength while the blow of losing scrum-half Jonathan Evans will hopefully be countered by the arrivals of Sarel Pretorius and Charlie Davies, whose contrasting styles should work nicely.

There remain some fears at prop if seasoned campaigners Boris Stankovich and Brok Harris are sidelined but promising prospects are coming through the academy in the shape of age-grade internationals Luke Garrett, Keagan Bale, Alex Jeffries and Leon Brown.

Head coach Kingsley Jones talked about the challenges of training with 43 players this week, a problem that he would love to still have come the autumn.