SAME old Dragons? The results so far in the United Rugby Championship suggest so, but the end of the Lions game on Sunday gave an indication of some progress.
The Rodney Parade club are still hunting a first scalp of one of South Africa’s big four and the wait is likely to go into next season unless they can cause a massive upset in Johannesburg in January or Cape Town and Pretoria in May.
The Dragons missed two big opportunities on home soil.
In round three they were edged out 33-30 by the Sharks after a try when the clock was in the red, then in round four they failed to really crank up the pressure on the Lions in the last quarter.
The score was 23-19 but the Dragons lacked a little conviction and a lot of energy, which might have come into play when they turned down a kick to the corner after 68 minutes in favour of a shot at goal that Will Reed missed.
Captain Ben Carter, who didn’t make the decision alone, will have had a first taste of replaying such moments in his mind.
Easy in hindsight, but the Dragons should have had a bit more belief in their lineout drive and ability to muscle their way over from close range (a method that has so far produced tries for Luke Yendle, Taine Basham (3), Chris Coleman, Ben Carter in four games).
They gave the Lions an easy escape and the savvy South Africans killed the clock expertly and then went for the kill.
It was here that the Dragons had to show resilience to at least ensure it wasn’t a pointless afternoon; they desperately wanted to win but when the visitors kicked to the corner it could have been worse.
The Lions were unable to get a four-try bonus but they could take away their hosts’ consolation; thankfully they were met by strong lineout defence (a feature of the early rounds) and then replacement flanker Dan Lydiate came up with a timely turnover.
How many times have we seen the deflated Dragons marched over their line in recent seasons?
That was a display of tenacity that has been displayed three times in Newport for some of the longest-suffering fans in professional sport.
The Dragons had to hang in there against the Ospreys and then, when their Welsh rivals failed to kill them off, struck at the death for victory.
Against the Sharks it was looking grim after 50 minutes when the momentum had swung thanks to three quickfire tries.
The Dragons rallied to get back in front and move into a position where they should arguably have closed out the game.
There is a similar feel to Cardiff last season when the Blue and Blacks failed to rack up a huge number of wins but played with a style that got fans on board.
Having 'plucky' before 'Dragons' is a step forward from ‘what’s the point of the...’, that has so often been before their name in recent times, especially on the road.
Dai Flanagan’s side are probably one win short of where they would like to be so far in this first block of the URC, with Benetton at home on Saturday and Connacht away to come.
They are playing with toughness and resilience that is to be admired but the well-documented small budgets in Wales will put their ability to keep that up to the test.
Hooker Brodie Coghlan, flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes, locks Ben Carter and Matthew Screech, centre Aneurin Owen have been to the fore of the feisty performances so far.
Now they have a six-day turnaround to face a hefty Benetton side with bruises still fresh from dates with two South African sides.
In truth, the Dragons could do with a Munster or Glasgow away to leave some players out.
The Benetton game is a worrying one because the Italians, who now have earned the reputation of play-off challengers, will see this as a big chance to build up a head of steam after hammering the Sharks 38-10 in Treviso, a result that put the Dragons' effort into context.
The visitors will start as favourites on Saturday night and Flanagan’s men simply must put in another physical, abrasive performance that has earned so much good will from the people that matter inside the ground.
The 2024/25 Dragons feel different but that needs to continue into the winter, a period that will make or break their season.
After the pause for the autumn tests there is a block of seven-game block featuring four Challenge Cup games - and knockout rugby must be the aim - and three derbies (Cardiff away and home, Scarlets in Llanelli).
The next two games will dictate whether we go into those cold months praising the new, physical, competitive Dragons or with fear about them reverting to type.
They have played with an aggressive style that supporters have engaged with but on Saturday’s it’s less about the processes and all about the outcome, with Flanagan currently having the worst win ratio of all Rodney Parade bosses (albeit with budgetary mitigation).
Our eyes tell us that this is a different Dragons but we need the W rather than BP column to do the same.
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