DRAGONS boss Bernard Jackman is eyeing TWELVE new signings as he starts to ramp up his Rodney Parade revolution - and says he's already convinced some "seasoned pros" to sign up.

The former Ireland hooker took the reins in the summer and promptly pledged to wipe the slate clean and give the squad the chance to prove themselves.

However, Jackman is now stepping up his recruitment drive as hunts down a raft of experienced campaigners to sign for next season.

The head coach says he has already convinced some players to sign on the dotted line and will leave assistant Hendre Marnitz in control of preparations for Saturday’s Anglo-Welsh Cup opener at Northampton while he holds talks with potential recruits.

“We have got some good players across the line already,” said Jackman. “We started early and knew after pre-season that there was a huge amount of recruitment needed and [chairman] David Buttress has been really supportive on that.

“I’ve been on the road up and down Wales and England, we’ve got some guys across the line and that’s great but we need to make sure the squad they are coming into has more depth.

“All of it won’t be around recruitment for next season, a lot will be around development and making players better.

“But we will bring probably 12 in and they will be seasoned pros. They won’t be about development – they will be ready to rock.

“Twelve is a lot but it’s my first year and the Dragons have been poor for years, so we probably have a little bit of dead wood that we need to clear out.”

The Dragons suffered a 49-6 drubbing at Guinness PRO14 title hopefuls Munster on Friday, a result that hammered home the size of the rebuilding task at Rodney Parade.

“We have some really good players and local lads who have committed to the Dragons and then our next batch who played at Munster are a long way behind,” admitted Jackman.

“We’ve got to fast track them, because you do need a good squad, and thankfully a lot of that group is young and there is improvement and learning in them.

“We knew it would be incredibly tough and were afraid that could happen. We knew we would have to be accurate and we weren’t. We were very disappointed with how we played.

“We saw in pre-season and at Ulster that when we take a few names out of our team we are pretty rudderless in terms of leadership and nous.

“We had four guys away with Wales, add some more injuries and it’s a huge ask away at Munster.

“We got exposed and that’s the reality of where we are at in terms of our depth. We are working those boys hard and they are fitter than they have ever been but tonight they didn’t look like they were at the level.”

The Dragons face Northampton at Franklin's Gardens next Saturday before welcoming the Scarlets to Rodney Parade the following Friday.

Their next PRO14 fixture is away at Leinster at the end of the month.