SAM Davies’ late drop goal sailing wide at the Lions from a central position, Max Clark being inches short and then Sio Tomkinson dropping the ball with the line at his mercy against Pau, the catalogue of errors in the last two minutes against Cardiff.
Dragons optimism has turned into a familiar feeling of doom, one that make you look at the fixture list desperately searching for the next win. Old habits die hard.
Dai Flanagan’s men are getting better, I remain convinced of that even if the New Year’s Day performance at the Scarlets was horrendous.
However, they are not in good shape at the moment and it would be a surprise if things don’t take a turn for the worse when a weary squad go up against the Bulls in Newport on Friday night.
Fingers crossed they can thrive in a backs-to-the-wall situation and fly into the South Africans live on BBC Wales.
“As much as I will always talk about process and how we play rather than outcome, environmentally places need wins,” admitted head coach Flanagan.
Perhaps we have all needed a dose of realism after going a little over the top in the first block of the United Rugby Championship.
The shackles were off after Dean Ryan left and Flanagan got a rapid promotion to the top job; they played with aggression and looked well-drilled with the devil in the detail.
They stunned Munster and the Ospreys in tight games (and when lamenting near misses we should remember the Dragons won these tense tussles) and then eased past Zebre.
The Italians were extremely poor but it was a very professional job – it’s usually only been against the likes of Cavalieri Prato, Bucharest or Mogliano that the task has been completed before the hour.
Last season’s paltry win tally of two was beaten in October and the foundations were laid to push on.
Then came a South Africa tour that featured three good efforts but was a mental and physical drain on the squad; they may have had some team bonding sessions in the Cape Town sun but it was still three weeks away from their families and routines away from rugby.
The performances on their return have dipped with poor efforts either side of a Cardiff derby that slipped through their fingers.
Pau should have been beaten on home soil but the error rate was sky high and golden chances at the death were botched in the 27-21 defeat.
It was a shambles at the Scarlets with the 14-man hosts deservedly taking the spoils after turning the score from 17-16 at the break to 33-17 despite their numerical disadvantage.
The Dragons were shapeless, played as individuals and creaked in the tight. It was the worst display since Edinburgh on opening weekend.
Should we be surprised? There were always fears about the thin squad.
With Elliot Dee sidelined, the Dragons are over reliant on Wales hooker Bradley Roberts at the moment while Chris Coleman, who has turned into a solid tighthead, has had to shoulder too big a burden in the absence of Leon Brown through injury.
There is a good duel between Gonzalo Bertranou and Rhodri Williams for the 9 jersey but, with both sidelined, the drop-off to Lewis Jones was clear in Llanelli.
The lock options are stronger but Will Rowlands is one of the best in the world and would be transformational for any team.
He might not play again for the Dragons because of injury and his absence is being felt even more because Ben Carter, arguably the best of the Wales second rows on the pitch when Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Beard came to Newport with the Ospreys, is on the comeback trail from an ankle injury.
The Rodney Parade club are in a tough spot at the moment and you feel that they need to regather themselves and recharge after Friday night.
They are still in a reasonable position to qualify in the Challenge Cup, albeit chances of a home last-16 tie have taken a blow, and then there is a home game against Glasgow a week before the Six Nations.
It has been a depressing run but the Six Nations could come at a good time, allowing the Dragons to take stock ahead of a big run-in.
They might not have the play-offs or Champions Cup qualification to play for like others but avoiding propping up the Welsh Shield would be a big thing for the Dragons.
The lead over the Scarlets has been trimmed to four points but there are opportunities ahead to ensure west is worst after the season finale at Judgement Day.
The Dragons took a step back in Llanelli but the evidence shows they have made progress under Flanagan. The challenge is to keep rising along with expectations.
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