IT WAS gutting to watch the derby defeat against the Scarlets from the sidelines, especially as my injury meant Taulupe Faletau was chucked in at the deep end.

My ‘corn beef calf’ has caused me a fair few problems over the years and a bang caused it to flare up and I failed a fitness test.

That meant Ed Jackson moved to blindside and Toby started at number eight rather than him gently coming back into the fray from the bench after his World Cup exploits.

As everyone knows, he is a world class player but it was tough after the mental and physical fatigue from being with Wales to come straight back in to our XV, learning brand new calls, structures and ways of doing things.

As Lyn Jones alluded to in a post-match interview, it caused a fair bit of disruption and despite having a few extra sessions to try to help Toby get up to speed it was always going to be tough.

It was one of those games for the team and one where we never managed to really get into the game, even with Jason Tovey taking his chances just before half time.

It’s Ulster at Rodney Parade on Sunday and we know that we have to rectify our errors at the set piece, because that’s an area of real strength for our visitors.

We have to try and stop them at source – prevention is better than cure.

They are a big team and if you give the likes of Nick Williams, their powerful number eight, free rein then they will cause plenty of damage.

The weather could dictate what sort of a game it is on Sunday and we have been working hard this week to ensure that our lineout and scrum operates well so that we can launch our own attacks while keeping their dangerous individuals in check.

Ulster are one of those teams who have massively improved over recent years due to investment in players and facilities. Not too long ago were in a similar position to us in the league table.

They are a side that shows with the right attitude, team and facilities a lot can be achieved in a few seasons.

We’ve got a pretty good record against Ulster at Rodney Parade and hopefully that will continue to give us the perfect end to a block of Guinness Pro12 fixtures ahead of next weekend’s European opener against Sale.

----------

South Wales Argus:

Over the course of the season I’m going to ask a few of my teammates a few questions to give you a bit of an insight into how they see things at the Dragons.

First up is my fellow back row forward Nick Crosswell, whose suspension for a punch against Glasgow ends after Sunday’s game...

Q: What is the biggest culture difference between being back at home with the Kiwis compared to here?

A: One of the biggest differences is the amount of time that you spend in one team throughout the year. Having Super Rugby for eight months and ITM Cup for three months gives an opportunity to mix up the personnel and a change of environment always keeps the body and mind fresh.

Q: What about the differences in the game?

A: A tight power game, set piece and winning penalties as opposed to simply using the ball appears to be a focus with the vast majority of teams.

The focus is on physicality all the way down to the academy level as a priority, compared to the handling ability which was demonstrated by the New Zealand team at the World Cup.

Q: What do you enjoy about being here in Wales?

A: The weather isn't too different and if anything hasn't been as bad as I was told!

Being a little in the sticks back home being from Palmerston North is different to the city life and it's nice to have an opportunity to get away to see the UK and bits of Europe.

Q: What are your thoughts on the start of the season?

A: It has been a frustrating year for us as a team and personally with the gaps in between the games and now unfortunately my stint on the sidelines.

Hopefully we can have a good run of games up until Christmas to get our season up and running.