LYN Jones was angered by Newport Gwent Dragons' "lethargic" display in beating London Welsh but is confident his charges will feel the benefit in Dublin, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Dragons narrowly avoided becoming the Exiles first victims of the season thanks to a pair of converted tries in the second half of a 17-13 LV= Cup triumph.

Jones picked a strong side with an eye on the return of the Guinness Pro12 against Leinster but saw his charges produce an error-strewn display.

However, he is hopeful that the hit-out will serve his squad well, pointing to a period last season when the Dragons had a fortnight off while the semi-finals of the Anglo-Welsh were being played and then got thumped 24-8 by Connacht at Rodney Parade when the Pro12 returned.

"When we played Connacht we were all over the shop," said Jones. "We didn't want to make the same mistake again this year.

"We have changed things around and mixed things up, offering players opportunities and others time off. But London Welsh was a lethargic attempt at being professional rugby players from us."

Jones admitted that fly-half Jason Tovey "was a big influence on the outcome" while his fellow replacement Richie Rees also helped turn the tide by executing a tighter game.

"We are trying to develop our game and were too extreme in the first half with our width," said Jones. "We had no go-forward and made one mistake after another.

"It was poor and the players put their hands up in the changing room. We can play a lot better than that and we'll draw a line under it."

The Dragons trailed 13-3 at the break and their young half-back pairing of Luc Jones and Angus O'Brien found the going tough but they weren't helped by their senior teammates, leading to the half-time hairdryer.

"(The language) wasn't for the under-18s. As a coach you don't want to do that sort of thing but it was so poor, there was no responsibility in game management," said Jones.

"We've got a bit to do (for Leinster) but it was a good workout and we will come back better."

On the plus side the Dragons were boosted by the return of centre Pat Leach, who played an hour in his first game of the season, and his fellow knee injury victim Boris Stankovich, who came on at loosehead in the closing stages after three months out.