NEWPORT Gwent Dragons boss Kingsley Jones bemoaned his side “reverting to type” when wasting a superb start to go down to defeat at Ulster on Friday night.

The men from Rodney Parade made a pointless start to the Guinness Pro12 after being drubbed 29-8 at Kingspan Stadium by a home side inspired by South Africa ace Ruan Pienaar.

The Dragons had the better of the first quarter and led thanks to a well-taken try by left winger Pat Howard on debut.

However, they barely had the ball for the next hour and shipped five tries to the Irish title contenders on an evening that was made even more frustrating by injuries.

Flanker Ollie Griffiths made an excellent start to the game but is unlikely to play against Zebre in Newport on Friday after suffering a shoulder injury while the Dragons are also sweating on centre Sam Beard and lock Rynard Landman after they limped off plus second row Cory Hill suffered a nasty ear injury.

Head coach Jones, who may at least have Hallam Amos back in his squad after the Wales wing was rested following three Tests against the All Blacks, is spearheading the effort to play a more expansive game.

And he wants his charges to swiftly learn to keep the pedal to the metal rather than become conservative when under pressure.

He said: “We were excellent for 30 minutes and showed our intentions but then the momentum changed and we reverted to type, slowing things down and kicking the ball away. That’s not what we want to do.

“There wasn’t a lack of effort but we need to deal with pressure better and can’t compound errors with errors. Second half we were never in control of the game.

“We are trying to change and it doesn’t happen overnight. People can see what we are trying to do and it was evident at the start of the game against Ulster, as well as Cardiff Blues and Exeter in pre-season.

“It’s there to see but when we are tired, at a tough place to play, we reverted to type. The game at this level is about momentum and dealing with pressure.”

The Dragons get a chance to put thing right on Friday when they host a Zebre side fresh from a 59-5 hammering at the Ospreys.

Last year they also welcomed the Parma-based side to Newport in round two after they had endured a 61-13 tonking at Cardiff Blues and the hurting Italians limited the damage to 13-0 in a tedious fixture.

“We’ve got the same scenario but it was always going to be a tough game,” said Jones. “Despite Zebre being beaten heavily, it’s a big challenge for us and also a big opportunity.

“We are disappointed that people are already putting us down at the bottom of the table because we feel that we have strengthened the squad.

“It’s very important that we put in a strong performance for our fans and keep improving on the new way that we are trying to play.”