CHRIS KIRWAN: Record-breaking Dragons need to avoid more landmarks / Parade farewell for fantastic Faletau / Sweaty palms in Championship tussle

The milestone that they have already achieved is one to cause teacups to be hurled in frustration rather than prompting the popping of corks.

The Rodney Parade region’s tally of nine losing bonus points is already a Celtic League high, matching the Ospreys’ effort in 2008 and Zebre’s from 2013.

The Dragons have four more fixtures in which they could ‘win’ the record outright, although Treviso are coming up on the rails with eight near-misses.

How Lyn Jones’ side, who have at least enjoyed another successful European campaign, could do with staying on nine narrow defeats by avoiding three more unwanted records.

1: The class of 2016 have so far only mustered four Pro12 successes and need victories against two of the Ospreys (home), Cardiff Blues (away), Scarlets (neutral) and Zebre (away) to at least match the current low of 2012/13.

2: That campaign (which led to the exit of Rob Appleyard, demotion of Darren Edwards and arrivals of Lyn and Kingsley Jones) was the first time that the Dragons had been whitewashed by their regional rivals. They will be desperate to avoid a repeat after being thrashed in Llanelli last October then robbed by Cardiff Blues and pipped by the Ospreys over the festive period.

3: The Dragons have NEVER gone a whole campaign without an away win so will be gunning for a repeat of last season’s excellent win in the capital and then a triumph in Parma to ensure they aren’t leapfrogged by Zebre.

It has been an odd season for the Dragons and one that gives you some sympathy when the players say they are not far away from cracking it.

They aren’t that far away from being a good side but the losing streak has also highlighted the painfully thin squad depth.

Last summer’s recruits – wing Nick Scott, centre Adam Warren, scrum-halves Sarel Pretorius and Charlie Davies, tighthead Shaun Knight and number eight Ed Jackson – have been hit and miss, not quite adding the oomph that it was hoped they would.

The drop-off in quality remains too big when the first-teamers are sidelined or missing and this season’s remarkable glut of injuries (a second unfortunate campaign on the bounce) has stressed players to the extent where their performances have dipped.

Prime example of that is South African lock Rynard Landman, who has had to shoulder too big a burden and at stages has gone from his usual excellence to being merely good.

The management talk about reaping the benefits in years to come of enforced exposure for the likes of Matthew Screech, Cory Hill, Ashton Hewitt, Carl Meyer, Dorian Jones, Angus O’Brien but, frankly, we’ve heard that all before.

“So many (losses) last year were down to a tactical naivety," said Appleyard the summer after his departure. “As I was leaving there the big chat was about the spine of the team, the game controllers had to come in.

“With some really talented boys (Hallam Amos, Jack Dixon, Elliot Dee James Benjamin) coming back from the Junior World Championship we will see more control but some good exciting young players as well.”

Many of the traditional failings at Rodney Parade remain and the league win tally means that there must be questions about the progress of the team and whether everything is being squeezed out of the current squad.

But if the Dragons are to enjoy a better season in 2016/17 then they need something that many sportsmen hate to admit is as important as their hard graft and organisation: good luck, to both sneak victories and avoid injuries.

THERE are some great names on the Argus Dragon of the year trophy – Colin Charvis, Joe Bearman, Ashley Smith, Adam Hughes, Robert Sidoli, Jonathan Evans, Lewis Evans, Hallam Amos – but few have done as much for Newport Gwent Dragons as Taulupe Faletau.

It’s no doubt because expectations are so high of the number eight, or perhaps simply because he is called away every autumn and Six Nations, that he has never won the award.

But at times Faletau has single-handedly carried the torch for the Rodney Parade region, representing them on the biggest stage and being the face of the Dragons to the casual fan, much like his position rivals Mamuka Gorgodze for Georgia and Sergio Parisse with Italy.

Friday evening’s encounter against the Ospreys could well be the Pontypool-raised back rower’s Rodney Parade farewell as the home derby against the Scarlets has been shifted to Principality Stadium while it will take a win at Gloucester and a Sale success against Montpellier to earn a Newport semi-final in the European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Faletau deserves a huge send-off as the number eight is undoubtedly a Dragons great and his departure is one of a couple that signals a changing of the guard. Hugh Gustafson and Jason Tovey will not be on the books next season, leaving Lewis Evans and Adam Hughes as the sole stalwarts.

Taulupe has achieved a remarkable amount for a 25-year-old with a a Grand Slam and another Six Nations title, one World Cup semi-final, another quarter-final, 57 caps for his country and a series win with the Lions in Australia.

He no doubt wants to experience club success with Bath (although a Challenge Cup campaign wasn’t in the brochure) and I for one certainly don’t begrudge him that.

Let’s hope his final Rodney Parade league experience as a Dragon is a hard-fought derby win.

THE big action last Saturday was said to be at the Liberty Stadium for those interested in the Guinness Pro12, Sardis Road in the tussle for the Swalec Cup and Rodney Parade in the Premiership play-offs scrap but arguably the most important 80 minutes was at, of all places given this week’s troubling news, Tata Steel.

The men from Port Talbot threw a huge spanner in the works when it comes to the fierce Swalec Championship promotion race by beating RGC 1404.

It was a victory that will have made a few hearts sink up north and at the Millennium Stadium – this wasn’t in the script.

Merthyr and Swansea will certainly be in the revamped 16-team Premiership next season but the other two promotion spots are very much up in the air.

Pontypool are third on 78 points with five games left, champions Bargoed have come storming back from a sluggish start to sit second on 72 with six left, RGC are fifth on 71 with six left.

There are some key fixtures – Swansea v RGC, Pooler v RGC, Bargoed v Pooler – but last weekend showed that nothing can be taken for granted.

It’s squeaky bum time: get it right and there are three seasons guaranteed in the ring-fenced top flight, get it wrong and it’s three campaigns looking on.

Last week it was announced that Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay will be further developed, including the building of a 3G pitch, thanks to a cash injection of more than £2million (£1million loan from the Welsh Government, £900,000 from Conwy Council and £300,000 from the Wales Collaborative Sports Facilities Group).

While RGC is only part of what is trying to be achieved in the north, failure to make it to the Premiership would be a blow with three more years of fixtures against Bridgend Athletic rather than Bridgend, Beddau instead of Pontypridd and Cardiff Met rather than the Blue and Blacks.

Not that anyone at Pooler or Bargoed will care a jot. The possibility of playing the role of party poopers merely adds to a fascinating finale that is giving plenty of Welsh Rugby Union officials sweaty palms.