CHRIS KIRWAN: Dragons' winning culture must come from the very top

When the wins are rolling many members of an organisation are keen to claim their part and bask in the glory. When the losses are being chalked up the finger of blame often points at those wearing the boots.

With just four victories so far it has been a frustrating and frankly grim Guinness Pro12 campaign for Newport Gwent Dragons; pre-season hopes of pushing for a top-half finish now look overly-enthusiastic.

There are of course mitigating factors with a crippling injury list that has denied them several key figures, put a heavy burden on several players who are now looking slightly weary and denied them the numbers in training required for fierce competition and good development.

The Rodney Parade natives are restless but the players are rarely the source of their frustration as their attitude and application is seldom in doubt.

But the Dragons need to find a way of turning narrow defeats into victories – Taulupe Faletau and Andrew Coombs may have been among the winning answers on Monday evening’s edition of Pointless on the BBC but it’s seven games since their side have been pointless from a Guinness Pro12 fixture.

Sadly just two of those encounters, Munster and Leinster in Newport, have been wins and on five occasions they have had to settle for losing bonus points.

In his column today Lewis Evans talks about the need to develop a ruthless streak and a winning culture but that is something that doesn’t just come from those at the Ystrad Mynach training base.

Such a culture and an environment comes from the top of the organisation; if there is acceptance of the status quo from the those at the helm then it’s natural that it drips down.

Rob Baxter has guided Exeter from the Championship to being Aviva Premiership and Champions Cup contenders because he is an excellent coach but also because of the vision of the likes of the Chiefs chairman Tony Rowe.

They have strived for excellence with a ‘can-do’ spirit rather than a ‘that’ll do’ one.

That’s what worries many Newport Gwent Dragons supporters; they fear that their club is treading water while others are pushing on.

This is the sort of season that will have some uttering that horrible phrase again: development region.

Last season the Dragons finished above Cardiff Blues to shake off the tag of Wales’ bottom team for the first time since 2010 while it was only the third time that they were above the men from the Arms Park.

Yet we have all seen that getting rid of preconceptions takes more than one campaign.

Connacht have made huge strides in the past couple of years and are not only in the mix for Champions Cup rugby in 2016/17 but are challenging for the title.

But even as they sit top of the table, above Leinster, Ulster and Munster, they have lost one of their crown jewels with Robbie Henshaw turning down a stay in Galway in favour of a move to Dublin on his Ireland central contract.

“What makes it so disappointing is because he is a local boy and an icon, but he is not the first Connacht, Leinster, Munster or Ulster player who has left his home province and won’t be the last,” said coach Pat Lam.

“I have coached teams and played in teams where we have had homegrown, world class players, but that doesn’t guarantee success.

“What does guarantee success, is your structures, your culture, the game you play, the teamwork. I know the fans are disappointed, but what they want to see is a successful team, and that is what we are doing at the moment.

“Robbie is a part of it as well, but we want to continue building year-on-year so that Connacht Rugby is successful.”

Make no mistake, those sort of challenges will face the Dragons in seasons to come when Hallam Amos, Tyler Morgan, Jack Dixon, Elliot Dee and Ollie Griffiths are looking to push on.

The clock is ticking to move into a position where it’s easy to convince them to stay put rather than follow the path of Ian Gough, Rhys Thomas, Luke Charteris, Dan Lydiate and, shortly, Taulupe Faletau.

The responsibility for pushing on, striving for excellence and progressing doesn’t just fall on those who wear Dragons tracksuits.

IN ‘The Binman Chronicles’, the story of one of Wales’ greatest sportsmen, Neville Southall, the goalkeeper lauds two of the unsung heroes who helped Everton win the title in 1987.

“Too little credit is given to the likes of Paul Power and Alan Harper who came in and filled a variety of roles really well”, he wrote as he explained how the Championship was secured despite injuries to more established players in Gary Stevens, Peter Reid, Pat Van Den Hauwe and Graeme Sharp.

“If a caricaturist set out to capture the essence of Alan Harper, the substitutes’ bench would provide the inevitable setting,” writes Ivan Ponting in his directory of former players.

“He wore six different numbers on the way to picking up a title medal in 1986/87, but if everyone else was fit then poor Alan would be the man to stand down.”

Every team needs its fringe figures and in the modern day it pays to listen to the colleagues of a player rather than online critics.

Some of the reaction from out west that greeted the Ospreys’ capture of Newport Gwent Dragons front row forward Hugh Gustafson was intriguing. Some was downright rude.

Granted, ‘Gus’ isn’t a brute from South Africa or a classy Kiwi but a sign of what the Liberty Stadium side is signing came from his peers.

There was a flood of tributes to the loosehead-turned-hooker from current Dragons, not to mention Premiership clubs he has represented and Rodney Parade staff.

Gustafson has an attitude and application to be cherished, as hooker Rhys Thomas put in his own inimitable way.

“If he hasn’t been involved in the squad he is still a training nause,” said the captain, before offering another description (in jest) that certainly wouldn’t have made the radio edit.

“He’s a Roy Keane. A 100 per center. I am glad he’s going to be honest – no more dead legs in training!”

Gustafson has never let the Dragons down when called upon – few forwards are as useful in the loose – but with just four games under his belt this season his absence won’t necessarily be felt on the field.

However, it certainly will at Ystrad Mynach and that’s what the Ospreys know they are signing; a good professional who will add to the environment and aid the development of the next generation.

It’s often said that a prospect will learn more from a fellow player than a coach and in that sense Gustafson, who led the Dragons Premiership Select XV in the British and Irish Cup this season, is a canny recruit. Oh, and he’s also a pretty handy player as some western critics will discover.