THE Dragons winless streak stretched to seven games after the Bulls showed the power that makes them United Rugby Championship title contenders at Rodney Parade.
The South African triumphed 29-14 in Newport thanks to a fast start and their dominant scrum.
The Dragons recovered from trailing 17-0 in the first quarter to be 17-14 down at the break after tries by hooker Bradley Roberts and centre Max Clark.
However, the Bulls’ power game led to a bonus point win while Dai Flanagan’s men haven’t celebrated a success since October.
Here are some talking points from Rodney Parade…
WEARY DRAGONS
Flanagan’s side did well to fight their way back into the game when a hammering looked on the cards but it was always going to be a huge task to keep it tight.
That was in part down to the strength of the Bulls side and also because of a brutal festive schedule.
The Dragons had a six-day turnaround from their Cardiff loss on Boxing Day to the New Year’s Day defeat at the Scarlets then a five-day turnaround to facing the South Africans.
In an ideal world a side would try to keep the tempo high to avoid a physical confrontation with such a formidable visiting line-up but the warning light was already on the fuel tank.
Hooker Roberts, number eight Ross Moriarty and lock George Nott are all huge when it comes to collisions and dynamism yet all had to be replaced after starting all three festive games.
Circumstances (Leon Brown’s injury, Lloyd Fairbrother given bereavement leave) have also led to Chris Coleman having to go to the well too often when he has needed a break.
The tighthead has made big progress in recent seasons but had a torrid time against the Scarlets and then the Bulls, who arguably have the best scrum in the URC.
Coleman shouldn’t be judged on these appearances, in an ideal world he would have been taken out of the firing line for a breather.
He’s not the only one.
“I’ll be honest, two days off will be unbelievable for us,” said Flanagan on Friday night. “It will almost be like having a new group on Monday because they will come in with a spring in their step.”
POWER PROBLEMS
Flanagan sounded like a slightly less grouchy Dean Ryan after coming a cropper against the Bulls’ power.
There is no problem in acknowledging the fact that a side will always come off second best in physical confrontations against others.
The Dragons can make themselves less vulnerable to the tight game but they are unlikely to ever bully a South African pack.
Avoidance is a legitimate tactic and on this front the hosts failed.
“When you play against teams that are that dominant up front you have to be squeaky clean and you can’t make errors to give too many ins,” said Flanagan.
“We are never going to match them in terms of power. We will always struggle in certain areas of the game against certain teams, but that’s where the rest of our game needs to be spot-on.
“We can’t afford to turn the ball over, knock silly passes on and overplay in certain areas.”
NINE NEEDED
Opportunity knocked at the start of 2023 for Lewis Jones with Rhodri Williams and Gonzalo Bertranou injured but the scrum-half has blown his chance.
He was poor at the Scarlets but got another crack against the Bulls through necessity… and then produced possibly the dullest moment of the season when slapping the ball behind for a penalty try and a yellow card.
Williams and Bertranou need to be pushed by a lively and reliable nine.
I understand why Che Hope isn’t considered a starter but if it’s a bench spot then it should be the youngster given the 21 jersey every time.
I wrote before the season that the Dragons need a scrum-half to come through and that third spot is a serious concern, one that needs addressing in the summer recruitment drive.
Referee Mike Adamson talks to Dragons captain Steff Hughes (Image: Huw Evans Agency)
TOUGH CALLS
Did the Dragons lose because of referee Mike Adamson? A categorical no.
However, they got on the wrong side of the Scottish official and the penalty count (17 to 8) ended up killing them.
At times it feels that the Dragons, historically dweller at the basement of the league, are refereed on reputation.
The Dragons have the ninth worst penalty count in the URC (121), although a lot of them have come at the scrum where they are ranked last (49).
However, it must also be said that the Rodney Parade club can be slow to get the hint when enduring a spell of offences away from the set piece.
There are times that they don’t react with a squeaky clean spell, even if they are quibbling with the calls.
