Dragons coach targets big start for home run

SPOTLIGHT: Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan urged his side to make the most of their 2024/5 URC fixture draw.

The Gwent based side will open their season campaign on Saturday afternoon when they take on fellow Welsh rivals, the Ospreys at Rodney Parade.

The Welsh derby starts a run of four matches, with the Dragons having five home matches on the trot.

The Sharks, Lions and Benetton are also due to arrive before the end of October.

“There is a chance for a good start to the season – that is our sole focus,” stated Flanagan.

“We get to play in front of our people on day one – you cannot ask for anything more than that.

“Rodney Parade is a fantastic place to play, our supporters have been through a lot with us, and they are awesome. They are with us come rain or shine.

“It’s week by week this league, it’s tough whether you are home or away, every team is littered with internationals so there are no easy games.

“The thing we are looking forward to most is playing at Rodney Parade in front of our fans. It’s a great chance to make a statement early on.”

Flanagan also emphasised how his side has look to evolve this pre-season as they aim to make a strong start to the on home soil.

“Our biggest challenge has been our collision work. We needed to improve that, whether that is in the tackle, the breakdown, the scrum, or the lineout,” he added.

“We made a big point that our pre-season needed to develop our athletes. Our recruitment needed to bring bigger athletes in. Our game needs to be a little different to allow us to play to the majority our strengths.

“We understand, like any boxing match, for the first six rounds we need to compete and match the collisions – that is what we are focussed on.

“New players have come in and they have been good,” he added. “They have added some high-performance behaviours to our group and a lot of experience.

“We’ve got Super Rugby, Top 14 and English Premiership players come in and add to the environment, so it has been great to see.

“They’ve settled in well. We have a couple of niggles, but they are keen to get out there and perform at Rodney Parade in front of our crowd in the league. We can’t wait to see them in our shirt.”