WHEN a side features Lee Byrne, Ian Gough, Andy Powell and Boris Stankovich it becomes hard to use youth as a reason for coming up short.

Newport Gwent Dragons lauded a better blend of experience in the squad this summer yet have endured a frustrating opening to the Guinness Pro12.

In the past they have been hindered by having too many green players but they have fielded the older side in both fixtures so far.

In Galway the Dragons' cumulative age was 386 to Connacht's 363 while their tally was 382 to the Ospreys' 377 last Friday.

While Byrne (34), Gough (37), Powell (33) and Stankovich (34) have added considerably to the figures it is also worth remembering that Hallam Amos and Jack Dixon have experience beyond their teenage years courtesy of three seasons in regional rugby.

But a glance at the make-up of the squad shows that more middle men are needed; players between 26 and 30 in the prime of their career. At present only Aled Brew, Andrew Coombs, Lewis Evans and Rynard Landman are in that category.

It is pertinent to point out that the Dragons, Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff Blues have been hindered by the delay in penning a fresh agreement with the Welsh Rugby Union.

The uncertainty was a spanner in the works when it came to signing new recruits and the work starts now to attract some quality for 2015/16.

Glasgow head to Rodney Parade on Saturday; what the Dragons would give to have a player of the ilk of South African powerhouse Josh Strauss in their ranks.

But progress needs to be made this season because such recruits will only head to Rodney Parade if they know they are joining a region on the up.

If the Dragons were to make overtures to Dan Lydiate then they'd surely be rebuffed if the blindside flanker was under the impression that he would be heading back from Racing Metro to the same old, same old.

AT the end of last season director of rugby Lyn Jones admitted he feared a summer of change would lead to a slow start by Newport Gwent Dragons in 2014/15.

A raft of players were shown the door and plenty of fresh faces, both new recruits and Under-20s, stepped up to the senior squad.

The boss felt the new side would take time to settle and that this term could potentially be a reverse of 2013/14, when they started with a bang before imploding.

The form guide is certainly a worry. The Dragons have now enjoyed just one win in 10 games (a narrow 20-19 home success against Treviso) and title hopefuls Glasgow are heading to town this weekend.

There is no need to hit the panic button just yet despite two error-strewn displays, and it was pleasing that a big deal has not been made about 'digging deep' to earn a pair of losing bonus points.

However, when the management and squad publicly state their target is to be top Welsh region or at least end a run of being among the whipping boys then they have to be judged accordingly.

If they fail to repeat last season's heroics and beat Glasgow on Saturday then it will represent a hugely underwhelming start to the campaign, featuring a pair of home defeats and a loss at an under-strength Connacht side that finished beneath them in 2013/14.

"At the Dragons, we have had eight seasons of finishing in the bottom four and that has got to stop," said Jones at the Guinness Pro12 launch.

He can't turn around in May and say 'Ah, but next season...' because the fans have heard that far too many times.