All-star Ospreys too strong for Dragons (From South Wales Argus)

Absolute shambles. 'Director of Rugby', the coaches etc all have to go- keep only Iestyn Thomas. Recruitment is AGAIN going spectacularly wrong. Results are frankly a disgrace. Please rebrand them, start again or put them to the sword and slay them. Why would any business want to be associated with such an amateur, shambolic establishment is beyond me!

Cant argue with that result.
Dragons didnt play badly. Thought it was Nimmos best game for us. actually looked the part for the first time. Jon Evans was sharp again. Dan evans, Toby, Adam Jones, Nic Cudd all had good games. Ospreys just too classy on the night. Credit where its due.

Gooding wrote:
Absolute shambles. 'Director of Rugby', the coaches etc all have to go- keep only Iestyn Thomas. Recruitment is AGAIN going spectacularly wrong. Results are frankly a disgrace. Please rebrand them, start again or put them to the sword and slay them. Why would any business want to be associated with such an amateur, shambolic establishment is beyond me!

Exactly. Some on here simply cannot grasp the fact that financial support & sponsors will not want to be associated with this embarrassment.
Let's await the usual "it was the refs fault" comments to flow, reality is that the league table does not lie - how sad to see Kingsley Jones in the TV studio, get him in ASAP as the fans (and sponsors) need some encouragement to keep shelling out to watch this dross year in year out.

Judgement Day? More like confirmation of the death penalty.

It's getting harder year on year to buy a season ticket. For goodness sake, how bad does it have to get before the directors of the 'region' sit up and do something about it. We hear how they are trawling the world for so called world class players, and so far, all we have is 'blow outs' from average 'over the hillers'!

euwan- cannot for the life of me see how you can find crumbs of comfort from that performance. The players looked beaten men from the first minute. Recycled ball was passed to static players 5 yards back, there was no enterprise at all, and we fell off tackles like it was men versus boys.

We are an embarrassment and a joke. Thank god Wales played so well last week, it numbs the frustration!

A huge gap between the teams, had the Ospreys not thrown the ball about loosely in the first half it could have been 80 points.
Dan Lydiate had a fair run out, Toby played well and I agree Nimmo played his best game, but we are miles off the pace.
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of being in the Millenium Stadium and seeing Roger Lewis rubbing his hands together when we stuffed England, he knew that this would bring in a couple of extra millions to the WRU coffers. To ensure Wales keep performing and to give the Dragons and other Welsh Regions a chance to challenge for Rabo and European honours, Lewis has to put that extra money back into the Regions as a 'Bonus', the extra players it would keep in Wales would make all the difference.

To be honest i gave up on this season at the beginning. The squad is not strong enough to compete in this league and this had been known and accepted by RP pretty much from the start. It genuinely suprises me that people continue to react to the bad results like they are unexpected. Pitch an International laden side, on a roll against a group of kids and a few good performances is all you can possibly hope for. Its the exact opposite of naive to think this.Take the positives where you can and look forward to next season.

Euwan Usami wrote:
To be honest i gave up on this season at the beginning. The squad is not strong enough to compete in this league and this had been known and accepted by RP pretty much from the start. It genuinely suprises me that people continue to react to the bad results like they are unexpected. Pitch an International laden side, on a roll against a group of kids and a few good performances is all you can possibly hope for. Its the exact opposite of naive to think this.Take the positives where you can and look forward to next season.

I admire your optimism, but,mwith the exception of my playing days,Mohave attended Dave Parade for 35 years. I never really attached myself to the Dragons from the start. I attend games, but don't really class myself as a supporter.

What I don't like is being taken for granted by the muppets that are supposedly running the place. More like 'running down' the place. Pot holes for spectators to trip over left unattended for weeks on end, and the building rubbish and litter that greets us as we enter the ground by the stewards house. It simply isn't good enough. It's all so amateurish it's embarrassing!

The Dragons will never compete with the Ospreys so long as the current WRU setup is in place (this is coming from a football fan).

It is biased so much in favour of the west, and the Dragons will always be viewed as the poor cousin of the others. Sacking the coaches will make no difference, I'm sure they're doing the best they can with one hand tied behind their backs. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.

Have you ever met our 'coaches' ncfcr? If you had, they might change your mind!

WRU is biased so much in favourite of the West simply isn't the case. We are just poorly run from top to bottom. Our sum is far less than our parts I can assure you!

Euwan Usami wrote:
To be honest i gave up on this season at the beginning. The squad is not strong enough to compete in this league and this had been known and accepted by RP pretty much from the start. It genuinely suprises me that people continue to react to the bad results like they are unexpected. Pitch an International laden side, on a roll against a group of kids and a few good performances is all you can possibly hope for. Its the exact opposite of naive to think this.Take the positives where you can and look forward to next season.

Exactly what is it we are looking forward to next season Euwan? If nothing changes then nothing will change!

Euwan Usami wrote:
To be honest i gave up on this season at the beginning. The squad is not strong enough to compete in this league and this had been known and accepted by RP pretty much from the start. It genuinely suprises me that people continue to react to the bad results like they are unexpected. Pitch an International laden side, on a roll against a group of kids and a few good performances is all you can possibly hope for. Its the exact opposite of naive to think this.Take the positives where you can and look forward to next season.

Your right it was a one sided game, with so many Welsh internationals theOspreys were odd on favourites from the start. Give credit to the Dragons they kept going throughout the game and almost got a try at the end. The guys put up a solid rearguard performance against how many players who lat week slaughtered England and are on a high at the moment plus Lions places are still up for grabs, no wonder they put such an effort in. The season is over for theDragons with Edinburgh winning the season is over, and to honest it was some time ago. Much has been said about new players and I'm sure efforts are being made on that front but lets wait and see where that goes. The Dragons were paying for pride theOspreys were playing for bigger goals, that's the difference in outlook.

Doberman1 wrote:

Euwan Usami wrote:
To be honest i gave up on this season at the beginning. The squad is not strong enough to compete in this league and this had been known and accepted by RP pretty much from the start. It genuinely suprises me that people continue to react to the bad results like they are unexpected. Pitch an International laden side, on a roll against a group of kids and a few good performances is all you can possibly hope for. Its the exact opposite of naive to think this.Take the positives where you can and look forward to next season.

Exactly what is it we are looking forward to next season Euwan? If nothing changes then nothing will change!

Yes I agree of course but we already know of 2 signings with the promise of more. Its too early to say but surely "The only way is up" next season.

Dragons board sit up and take notice, thats what a world class front five give you. Halfbacks get an armchair ride and time on the ball to create space for outside backs. Credit must go to ospreys as all frontfive members are home grown. Would like to see steffan jones and co playing on front foot next season. Still think with four or five signings we can compete again and get good crowds back at R.p.

Come on Argus Sport. Set up a online petition to out the coaching set up, if people stopped going to the games and stop putin money in the boards pockets they would soon sit uo and realise something needs to be done. There is no way the board can walk around in public with their heads held high, they are a joke!!

dont blame the Dragons board totally, the wru are killing all sections of rugby apart from 'team wales'. The dragons do not have the revenue and are being slowly choaked by the union. There is not enough revenue to compete,dont know the answer, however there will be further casualties along the way and i suggest there will ne no top tier rugby in gwent in 5 years.

I have been patient all season. Now, the coaches simply have to go. The gulf in class was ridiculously evident last night. If the Dragons are to survive as a region then they need a total restructure.... And significant investment. The effort (by some) is there, as is the willingness to listen and learn. But with the coaching set up being so limited there is only so much - or little - the players can take in. Mobility in the pack is a big negative for me. We need dynamism around the field and in the ruck situation. With Lydiate going and for his own sake Faletau the Dragons need serious back row reinvestment, a lot more quality in the second row and the same in the front row. Richie Rees will provide a sharper pass but the gain line breakers just don't seem to be there. I am the most optimistic of fans and never post on here but it has got to the stage now where real drastic action has to be taken. Fans will not renew their season tickets or pay overpriced ticket costs next season unless there is a new coaching team and anywhere between half a dozen and a dozen new good players that are needed to make this region somewhere near competitive... And even keep its existence.

Having had a hard day at work finishing at 5:30 jumping in the car for an hour , queuing for my ticket and getting to my seat 10 mins before kick off , after grabbing food that is , I was looking forward to watching some rugby.
I knew it was likely we would lose and in some ways not having made Cardiff last weekend it was great seeing most of the Welsh pack !
The Dragons gave a gutsy performance right up until the knock on in the final seconds of the match and produced a better performance away than they did at home against Glasgow and considering the confidence and moral in the Dragons that is all we can ask at the moment because the season is done and we are now playing for pride.
We have no control over what will happen at the parade prior to next season but let's hope those that do can make my journeys more worth while next season.

Another 50 pointer but not unexpected. I just live in hope that somehow things will improve but they don't. Whilst things weren't perfect under Paul Turner at least the Dragons were competitive. This game was virtually over after the first 7 minutes and just pride was left. The Osprey's scrum half had the measure of the Dragons from the outset and knew to run everything and throw outrageous passes etc. He showed the Dragons no respect and why should he when they are such an easy touch. My son and I have tickets for the double header but I see little point in bearing the cold to watch the Scarlets run rings around our boys (I predict another 50 pointer). I don't blame them because there are some good players there but the coaches repeatedly fail to either improve them, or mould a good team. They know that front five forwards are key, but still fail to bring good heavyweights in. No season tickets for us next year and I will watch for any notable improvements. When I see some investment in the region, I may invest in it again. Nothing to do with loyalty - that's life!!

ncfcr wrote:
The Dragons will never compete with the Ospreys so long as the current WRU setup is in place (this is coming from a football fan).

It is biased so much in favour of the west, and the Dragons will always be viewed as the poor cousin of the others. Sacking the coaches will make no difference, I'm sure they're doing the best they can with one hand tied behind their backs. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.

WRONG !! The WRU should not be rewarding failure, do something to deserve extra help, apart from winging and they may just get it.

East Newport Dave thoughts, like others here, are typical of most supporters this season I believe. Difficult times for the region. Big changes called for and little cash available to acheive it. I would like to see the wage bill details of the Ospreys. I cant believe they can operate with such a strong squad and stay within the wage cap. If they can then the solution is quite simple. The WRU need to find a few extra quid to fund us to the same level. Whats more important; Paying off the stadium or saving the regional game in Wales? Guess it depends on if your a real supporter or on a big bonus for early repayment?

I can appreciate the difficult circumstances under which the coaches operate. Its hard to judge how much better they would perform with greater investment in quality and experience. I am reluctant to criticise anyone until I get more information about what is going on at RP. The management must have foreseen what would happen as the squad was gradually depleted. Did they allow it to happen because they didn't have the resources to invest? Or, is there some other circumstance that makes them reluctant to invest? Plenty of rumours and theories - but few hard facts. The Dragons seem to be quickly evolving into a development region - whether official or unofficial. They are uncompetitive in the Rabo; uncompetitive in the Heineken; uncompetitive in the Amlin. The longer they remain at this level , the harder it will be to raise themselves above it ( without substantial investment - and even then , not guaranteed ). The Dragons have some great fans but even they need some reasons for hope. Financial prudence is good for basic survival , but just limping along indefinitely is never going to encourage the degree of crowd support that might allow greater progress.

Euwan Usami wrote:
East Newport Dave thoughts, like others here, are typical of most supporters this season I believe. Difficult times for the region. Big changes called for and little cash available to acheive it. I would like to see the wage bill details of the Ospreys. I cant believe they can operate with such a strong squad and stay within the wage cap. If they can then the solution is quite simple. The WRU need to find a few extra quid to fund us to the same level. Whats more important; Paying off the stadium or saving the regional game in Wales? Guess it depends on if your a real supporter or on a big bonus for early repayment?

The Ospreys agreed to the wage cap, then went straight out and stuck two fingers up to the other regions. This is why they other 3 werenT exactly coming out in defense of the Ospreys when they almost folded last summer. They are a charlatan outfit in my opinion, we are just hopeless.

We have a very strange logic at the Dragons. They want to pay players like Chavanga crazy money for 8 appearances (not matches) in a season, yet seem reluctant to offer players like Coombes a respectable contract to stay. Will he be a Scarlet next season? We are letting so much talent go, but go on looking for expensive luxury players that we do not need! If Coombes goes, it will be symptomatic of the stupidity at Rodney Parade, and I will not return next season.

SteveD wrote:
I have been patient all season. Now, the coaches simply have to go. The gulf in class was ridiculously evident last night. If the Dragons are to survive as a region then they need a total restructure.... And significant investment. The effort (by some) is there, as is the willingness to listen and learn. But with the coaching set up being so limited there is only so much - or little - the players can take in. Mobility in the pack is a big negative for me. We need dynamism around the field and in the ruck situation. With Lydiate going and for his own sake Faletau the Dragons need serious back row reinvestment, a lot more quality in the second row and the same in the front row. Richie Rees will provide a sharper pass but the gain line breakers just don't seem to be there. I am the most optimistic of fans and never post on here but it has got to the stage now where real drastic action has to be taken. Fans will not renew their season tickets or pay overpriced ticket costs next season unless there is a new coaching team and anywhere between half a dozen and a dozen new good players that are needed to make this region somewhere near competitive... And even keep its existence.

All you will get is a begging letter and the promise of new players.

Seems to work every season.

The board must be howling with laughter!!!

Firstly Stop Blaming the WRU, yes They have a stake in the Region but the day to day running is with the current board and management team, Secondly stop bliming Darren and the Coaches as i said before "you always ask for a change of coach staff and management" yet nothing changes results wise when it does then you again call for a change of manager and coaching staff etc so that itself isnt the problem - i beleive the main problem is that there are too many 1 eyed views and opinions that drive people away from watching Rugby at the Region therefore the crowds are dwindling away not just because of poor results and peformances but also the negative and overly biased attitude of the select few - Darren is a good coach and so are his team its just a shame that some dont give their all for the jersey also the WRU im sure dont want to waste money so they would run a region into the ground on purpose so those claiming that are wrong - maybe its time for players to stand up and take some flack rather than the current Coaching Team & Board etc

No money, development region
May not be there in 2 years time
Sums it up

Dragons den wrote:
Having had a hard day at work finishing at 5:30 jumping in the car for an hour , queuing for my ticket and getting to my seat 10 mins before kick off , after grabbing food that is , I was looking forward to watching some rugby.
I knew it was likely we would lose and in some ways not having made Cardiff last weekend it was great seeing most of the Welsh pack !
The Dragons gave a gutsy performance right up until the knock on in the final seconds of the match and produced a better performance away than they did at home against Glasgow and considering the confidence and moral in the Dragons that is all we can ask at the moment because the season is done and we are now playing for pride.
We have no control over what will happen at the parade prior to next season but let's hope those that do can make my journeys more worth while next season.

Spot on Dragons Den, don't always agree with your comments but this season is now done and dusted as far as we are concerned. With Edinburgh pulling off a suprise last night the hopes of going above them seem to be over. We have to wait to see what signings come for next season now. Some news on signings would lift spirits a bit and relieve the bitter cold gripping us all.

Dai Trying wrote:

ncfcr wrote:
The Dragons will never compete with the Ospreys so long as the current WRU setup is in place (this is coming from a football fan).

It is biased so much in favour of the west, and the Dragons will always be viewed as the poor cousin of the others. Sacking the coaches will make no difference, I'm sure they're doing the best they can with one hand tied behind their backs. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.

WRONG !! The WRU should not be rewarding failure, do something to deserve extra help, apart from winging and they may just get it.

Newport R F C were doing very nicely till the WRU stepped in and decided to have this dogs breakfast called regional rugby

Unfortunately the Dragons is run by a group of people who love being the big fish in a small pool.Trouble is , in this drought , the pool can't last much longer.

After watching rugby at RP for nearly 60 years i would like to put the current sitution into perspective.The wheels started to come off when Colin Charvis left under dubious circumstances we had a good defence under him. The present setup of Beale,Edwards,Appley
ard have now overseen 2 seasons when the season has been ended on all fronts by November. You could give these 3 the whole welsh squad and they would not achieve any better hey are totally inept,i think you have to question the boards ambition when they gae them a 2 year contract when they should have been sacked last summer.remember "you pay cheap you get cheap"

kalwales@hotmail.com wrote:
Firstly Stop Blaming the WRU, yes They have a stake in the Region but the day to day running is with the current board and management team, Secondly stop bliming Darren and the Coaches as i said before "you always ask for a change of coach staff and management" yet nothing changes results wise when it does then you again call for a change of manager and coaching staff etc so that itself isnt the problem - i beleive the main problem is that there are too many 1 eyed views and opinions that drive people away from watching Rugby at the Region therefore the crowds are dwindling away not just because of poor results and peformances but also the negative and overly biased attitude of the select few - Darren is a good coach and so are his team its just a shame that some dont give their all for the jersey also the WRU im sure dont want to waste money so they would run a region into the ground on purpose so those claiming that are wrong - maybe its time for players to stand up and take some flack rather than the current Coaching Team & Board etc

" Darren is a good coach and so are his team"

???? Based on what evidence exactly!!!

Euwan Usami wrote:
East Newport Dave thoughts, like others here, are typical of most supporters this season I believe. Difficult times for the region. Big changes called for and little cash available to acheive it. I would like to see the wage bill details of the Ospreys. I cant believe they can operate with such a strong squad and stay within the wage cap. If they can then the solution is quite simple. The WRU need to find a few extra quid to fund us to the same level. Whats more important; Paying off the stadium or saving the regional game in Wales? Guess it depends on if your a real supporter or on a big bonus for early repayment?

Hooray someone has heard what I was saying some weeks ago, the Millenium Stadium is well ahead of paying the cost of building it off. Welsh Rugby outside the national team is suffering very badly when the head is getting richer. There is a very old and sound saying cut off the head and the body will die, well WRU chiefs the body is in a very weak state and the head will follow unless someone does something about it and quickly.

fedup fred wrote:
After watching rugby at RP for nearly 60 years i would like to put the current sitution into perspective.The wheels started to come off when Colin Charvis left under dubious circumstances we had a good defence under him. The present setup of Beale,Edwards,Appley

ard have now overseen 2 seasons when the season has been ended on all fronts by November. You could give these 3 the whole welsh squad and they would not achieve any better hey are totally inept,i think you have to question the boards ambition when they gae them a 2 year contract when they should have been sacked last summer.remember "you pay cheap you get cheap"

Colin Charvis didn't leave under any odd circumstances at all, he was sacked because he was not attending to work after losing his driving license through a drink driving charge. Someone who is obviously getting on towards seventy five or so must also have a long memory or perhaps that's not your strongest point anymore or even selective.

As to the current coaching team, they are all very well qualified coaches in their own right and have done the job to the best of their ability, perhaps that's not good enough but the underlying problem is simply money which the WRU does have but are unwilling to spend some of it at grass roots level. There are lots of flowers that bloom and die because their roots have withered away and lost the very base of what feeds them.

blackandamber wrote:

Dai Trying wrote:

ncfcr wrote:
The Dragons will never compete with the Ospreys so long as the current WRU setup is in place (this is coming from a football fan).

It is biased so much in favour of the west, and the Dragons will always be viewed as the poor cousin of the others. Sacking the coaches will make no difference, I'm sure they're doing the best they can with one hand tied behind their backs. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.

WRONG !! The WRU should not be rewarding failure, do something to deserve extra help, apart from winging and they may just get it.

Newport R F C were doing very nicely till the WRU stepped in and decided to have this dogs breakfast called regional rugby

Correction. Newport RFC were going through a good patch, funded by an English benefactor who could have walked at any time and the Southern Hemisphere squad would have walked away with him. Regional rugby, for all its faults, was an attempt to secure success on the rugby field on a more stable, permanent basis. It hasn't worked because regions were never created but instead 'super' clubs or in the case of Newport a 'not-so-super' club. Now these monstrosities have not delivered as clubs but who can argue with the national successes? These monstrosities need changing. Either they must become superclubs or regions. At the moment we have neither and results and gates are affected as a result. Without supporters in proper numbers there is no capital with which to buy class players and whole swathes of supporters feel disenfranchised from Chepstow to the Lougher Estuary. The national side has achieved success despite the club structure not because of it.

Loughor.

Dai the Milk wrote:

blackandamber wrote:

Dai Trying wrote:

ncfcr wrote:
The Dragons will never compete with the Ospreys so long as the current WRU setup is in place (this is coming from a football fan).

It is biased so much in favour of the west, and the Dragons will always be viewed as the poor cousin of the others. Sacking the coaches will make no difference, I'm sure they're doing the best they can with one hand tied behind their backs. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.

WRONG !! The WRU should not be rewarding failure, do something to deserve extra help, apart from winging and they may just get it.

Newport R F C were doing very nicely till the WRU stepped in and decided to have this dogs breakfast called regional rugby

Correction. Newport RFC were going through a good patch, funded by an English benefactor who could have walked at any time and the Southern Hemisphere squad would have walked away with him. Regional rugby, for all its faults, was an attempt to secure success on the rugby field on a more stable, permanent basis. It hasn't worked because regions were never created but instead 'super' clubs or in the case of Newport a 'not-so-super' club. Now these monstrosities have not delivered as clubs but who can argue with the national successes? These monstrosities need changing. Either they must become superclubs or regions. At the moment we have neither and results and gates are affected as a result. Without supporters in proper numbers there is no capital with which to buy class players and whole swathes of supporters feel disenfranchised from Chepstow to the Lougher Estuary. The national side has achieved success despite the club structure not because of it.

Can I ask what team you watch regularly Dai

Yes. Of course you can. Manchester United.

I can,t really think of anything to say after that answer.