THE Dragons have been told to follow the Cardiff Blues blueprint if they are to upset the odds against Munster tomorrow afternoon.
The region welcome the unbeaten Irish province to Rodney Parade in the Guinness PRO14 (kick-off 2pm) after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Not many would have expected the Dragons to win at Leinster and Ulster but the performances were poor in heavy losses while the home win against Zebre was frustrating despite a four-try bonus.
“You see glimpses of real hope and glimpses of real creativity with the Dragons but fans are going to want a bit more than that,” said Premier Sports summariser Philippa Tuttiett.
“That time of settling in is running out and they have got the exciting and creative backs but at the moment they are living off scraps and broken play.
“Ashton Hewitt is making the most of what the Dragons are giving him, although there is the potential for him to come off his wing a bit more.
“Sam Davies is very confident of playing flat and bringing the back line into play, but that needs a platform and front-foot ball.
“Ollie Griffiths was awesome at Ulster, he was everywhere, so there are shining lights but sport is cutthroat and people will ask questions when there aren’t the wins or performances.”
Tuttiett, a Wales international at 7s and 15s, believes there is hope for the Dragons despite Munster going three from three in Limerick on Monday night.
“Cardiff Blues showed that if you can front up physically and if you can slow down their ball, then you can get into the game,” she said.
“That’s a big ask for the Dragons and they will have to be more disciplined and 100 per cent on their game.”
Former centre Tuttiett shares the concerns of Dragons boss Dean Ryan, who pinpointed their inability to win the collisions against Leinster or Ulster.
“The forwards aren’t knocking people back unfortunately,” said Tuttiett. “They are soaking people up and it’s taking two to take carriers down.
“It’s tricky when it comes to physicality for coaches because no matter how much training you do, you can’t make people bigger, wider or stronger overnight.
“But what you can do is make them a bit more savvy at that breakdown area, especially with the defensive line to stay connected, giving the individuals confidence for a more dominant collision.”
Premier Sports is the home of the Guinness PRO14 in the UK with six games live every weekend.
Tune in to see Dragons take on Munster at Rodney Parade on Sunday - live and in HD on Premier Sports 2 from 2pm. Further PRO14 rugby action in Wales live on Premier Sports includes Scarlets v Edinburgh (Sun 1 Nov, Premier Sports 2 from 6.30pm); Zebre v Ospreys (Mon 2 Nov, FreeSports from 7.15pm) and Cardiff Blues v Ulster (Mon 2 Nov, Premier Sports 2 from 5.30pm). Join the Premier Sports team for PRO14 rugby across Sunday and Monday including Ross Harries, Sean Holley, Andrew Coombs, John Barclay, Tom Shanklin, Eddie Butler, Wyn Gruffydd, Owain Gwynedd, Lauren Jenkins and Rhys Ap William.
Rugby fans can subscribe on Sky or the Premier Sports Player. Visit www.premiersports.com to sign up to see all the live action
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