Dai Flanagan had a lot to be excited about in his first season as head coach of the region.

See, for example, how he treated Angus O’Brien at the start of the season after the full-back headed in several times in a row. He went through and went through his return-to-play protocols.

But his team manager decided to take him out of the line of fire for a few games. “Angus will retire after two concussions in three weeks. He’s fine on his own, but I take more than he does,” Flanagan said at the time.

Welsh rugby coach warns of ‘red flags’ for game in Wales as football thrives here

“I have to protect these people, and nobody really knows what’s going on in their minds. With him going through concussion protocols, we’ve made the decision to leave him out so he can come back stronger in future games.”

So a brilliant, polite and thoughtful player’s guide.

Walking like talking.

Flanagan’s calm demeanor also impressed at the press conference.

At first there were also results.

In the United Rugby Championship, there were three victories in the first block of games, nothing spectacular, but one more than the Dragons had won in the entire previous season in the championship.

Munster were beaten and both Ospreys and Zebras scored 47 points.

Dragons fans can be forgiven for believing that better times are ahead.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the light at the end of the tunnel proved to be a roller coaster ride as the setbacks mounted, culminating in Saturday’s 73-33 thrashing at the hands of the Glasgow Warriors in Scotstown.

There were 11 goals at home, five of them by hooker Jonny Matthews, as the Welsh club struggled to repel the Scottish attack.

Lack of discipline hit the visitors again and support Aki Seiuli was sent off after a free-kick headed in by scrum-half Peter Horne. It didn’t seem deliberate, but it was an oversight, and Seiuli apologized to his former teammate as he left the pitch. Some said he should have apologized to his current teammates as well, as they were left playing the last 58 minutes of the game in low numbers.

This proved an impossible task for a team already without key players such as Will Rowlands, Sio Tompkinson and Harry Caddy.

But the Dragons are struggling to keep a full team on the pitch at this point, having had a player sent off in each of their last three games, with Seiuli following Thompkinson and Matthew Screech in order.

It’s hard enough for a Rodney Parade team to get wins when everyone is there, fixing and shooting for the cause. When one of them stays on the sidelines after receiving an order, their task becomes useless. This is not astrophysics, and Flanagan knows it.

To be honest, losing Rowlands for most of this season has been a huge blow.

Last season’s Welsh Rugby Player of the Year gave the Dragons a high-quality injection where they needed it most – in the top five. The East Wales side have some classy players, including Rio Dyer and Rhodri Williams, who shined in the squad. Glasgow is dismal, but it has struggled with this season’s showdown, and indeed, for longer than many care to remember. When Welsh rugby’s financial situation is finally sorted out, the Dragons’ top priority should be bringing in some strong props.

Needless to say, they also need to beef up their defense.

By one count they were down 30 tackles against Glasgow. Even when we factor in that they were at a disadvantage for most of the game, it’s still a terrible number. A few defensive miscalculations would upset even Flanagan’s zen calm. There were soft contacts that put pressure on teammates. It created a pitiful image.

No league wins since October and relegation from Europe at 73 points add to another poor campaign for Rodney Paraders.

What to do now? They already tried to change coaches, but nothing came of it.

Flanagan was discussed early in the season and remains the team’s promising young boss.

He will know that discipline needs to improve, and he will know that Dragons need to strengthen in key areas, as well as work on developing a winning culture.

These cases can take time. But the last few months have been sad for the Dragons.

Once again, the script went wrong.

It’s a line that could have been written countless times during most campaigns over the past 20 years, with the first notable exception under Mike Ruddock.

We all know that Welsh rugby’s tight budgets have hurt the competitiveness of all regions.

But still, the Gwent side must be better than it was.

Can we expect the situation to improve in the near future?

The bar is low, but metaphorically speaking, the Dragons seem to have forgotten how to move forward.

They must fix this.

Source: Wales Online