BOSS Dean Ryan admitted the Dragons looked “caught in the headlights” after wasting their chances for a much-needed victory on Friday night.
The Rodney Parade region ended their seven-game losing streak but failed to record only their second win of the campaign after being held 13-13 by Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.
The Dragons trailed 10-3 at the break, levelled after Ross Moriarty’s try early in the second half but were not clinical when presented with chances after penalties had been traded.
They could have lost at the death when Wales hooker Elliot Dee was sent off for dangerously clearing out a ruck but Benetton missed a penalty with the clock in the red.
The Dragons now have a record of played 11, won one, drawn one and lost nine in all competitions with their solitary success coming in September against Connacht in Galway.
“Looking at the overall game, it says where we are,” admitted director of rugby Ryan. “We lacked a bit of confidence because we created a load of opportunities and should have taken two or three of them, then when we don’t, we get caught in the headlights.
“The last two minutes showed a side that has not got clarity of what it wants to do, trying to win a game from their own line.
“We should have put the game away around 50 or 60 minutes with the opportunities that we had.
“We weren’t good enough and we didn’t control the ball through our own mistakes. Two weeks ago they caused pressure on us but they didn’t this time. We put too much ball down.”
The Dragons have a tough run of games that sees them host Ulster and head to Munster during the Six Nations before a planned South Africa double-header against the Bulls and Sharks.
“We’ve just got to keep supporting the group, it’s not easy, certainly when some of our game breakers are not around,” said Ryan.
“There are clear challenges for us when that quality is not around but we have to keep supporting them.”
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