NEWPORT Gwent Dragons coach Paul Turner has made a plea for better facilities if they are to make progress and compare with the other three Welsh regions.

Aghast at what Sale have achieved with the aid of a wealthy benefactor, Turner says that if he had a million pounds to spend it would go on training facilities ahead of new players.

"Finance is the only thing that really matters. When Sale owner Brian Kennedy came in Sale were rock bottom, they were in dire straits," he said at Edgeley Park on Sunday after the Dragons had been beaten 30-10 by Sale, their fifth successive Heineken Cup defeat.

"We are the only region in Wales without a benefactor, but I'm still proud that three times in Europe we've gone away (to Castres, Munster and Sale) and gone toe-to-toe with the opposition.

"But finance is the big thing because it allows you to develop. If I had £1m now it wouldn't go on players, but on developing ourselves as a region and getting a big training facility. That is how you can recruit.

"Cardiff are not moving about from place to place, they've got one facility (at the Vale of Glamorgan). "That is how you can entice players - with facilities.

"Sale is now a completely different place from ten years ago when I was there (as player-coach). I always knew even then that would be the case, that they would move on."

Turner, meanwhile, has got to get the Dragons focused on avoiding a first Heineken Cup whitewash for a team playing out of Rodney Parade.

Whether it has been Newport or the Dragons, no side has lost all six pool matches in Europe. But that is the stark prospect facing the Dragons unless they overcome Castres at home on Saturday (5.15pm).

However, given that the French side fielded a below strength team against Munster last Friday night as they were already out of the competition, they are sure to visit Wales with an even weaker side in order to conserve their energies for the French Championship where they are in the top six.

The Dragons will be without a number of players for the Castres game in any case. Apart from long-term injury victims Kevin Morgan, Gareth Wyatt, Nathan Brew and Richard Bryan, as well as Chris Anthony and Kieran Crawford, others are struggling.

Out are lock Luke Charteris, who is having a scan on the shoulder injury which has ruled him out of the last three games, and wing Gareth Chapman with a damaged foot while scrum half Gareth Cooper has had an injection in his troublesome ankle and will not resume training until later in the week.