INTERIM head coach Filo Tiatia believes the news of Ollie Griffiths’ retirement will give the Dragons squad an extra motivation to return to winning ways against Montpellier on Friday night.

The back row forward has been forced to hang up his boots on medical advice and Tiatia insists his former teammates can take inspiration from the way Griffiths has handled the situation.

“It’s a sad day,” said Tiatia, who took over from the departed Dai Flanagan before last Saturday’s defeat to Cardiff Rugby.

“I didn’t really work with Ollie, but he’s played over 100 games for the club and had a massive impact on the region.

“I messaged him the other day and just told him that this is his home and any time he wants to pop in [he’s welcome].

“He’s made a massive impact and he’s a special man.

When he announced it to the group on Monday, they all stood up and gave him a standing ovation. It was an emotional moment for a lot of those boys.

“When you’re fighting for your life and fighting for the things that are important, it’s hard to let go sometimes. But he’s an inspirational man. To see him now, you wouldn’t think he’s sick. He’s a fit man and he looks after himself, but, for some reason, God puts us in different situations. He’s a special guy.

“It does give us a bit of extra motivation,” added the Kiwi coach.

“We want to win on Friday, not just for Ollie, but for the players themselves and for the community that comes out to support them week in and week out.”

Taine Basham is someone who has benefited from the guidance offered to younger players by Griffiths and he says the 29-year-old will be sorely missed.

“It is sad,” said Basham. “He came in on Monday and gave his speech. He was a consummate professional and he was one of the most hard-working players I’ve known. He’s had his set-backs with injuries and it never really got him down.

“As a younger back row coming through, seeing how he went about his business was really inspiring. He’s helped me a lot with feedback. I had plenty of questions and I picked the brains out of him and Nic Cudd. He’s been an incredible player to look up to.”

Meanwhile, new co-captain Angus O’Brien wants Dragons to channel their derby day frustration into fuelling the club’s EPCR Challenge Cup bid as they prepare to host Montpellier at Rodney Parade on Friday (kick-off 8pm).

“The derby was a game of frustration,” he admitted. “The way we started and the way we finished the game was what we were hoping for over 80 minutes. We have now got to produce that for the whole game against Montpellier.

“It is about converting opportunities when they come, because against a team like Cardiff they are going to punish you. That is what they did.

“There were some positives and fair play to Morgan Lloyd, that is the way he has been training and playing all season,” he added.

“He was outstanding when he came on and he played with freeness and confidence.

“He gave us that spark that we were looking for, but it is bitterly disappointing because there was enough time in the game, and we felt like we were on top.”

Reflecting on leading the team for the first time, O’Brien admitted it was a bittersweet occasion.

“It was a huge honour to captain for the first time, but it would have been so much sweeter with a win,” said the 30-year-old. “It was great to lead the team out, but I am gutted at the result, and we need to make amends starting on Friday at home.”