Captain Rhodri Williams has urged Dragons to bounce back in style in the region’s upcoming Guinness PRO14 double-header at Rodney Parade.
Williams grabbed a try brace north of the border as battling Dragons lost out 34-19 to Glasgow Warriors at a windswept Scotstoun Stadium.
Attentions now turn to back-to-back home games as Dean Ryan’s men look to continue a home record that has seen them win the region’s last four games in all competitions.
First up is a clash with Toyota Cheetahs on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 5.15pm) before Benetton Rugby arrive for re-arranged league game the following Saturday (March 7).
“We love playing at home, the crowd gets behind us and hopefully we will get a good turnout for these back-to-back games,” he said.
“Hopefully the weather will be better and we can play a bit. We are all looking forward to getting back home and getting some games at Rodney Parade under our belt.”
Reflecting on the defeated in Scotland, Williams admitted indiscipline and errors in the third quarter of the game had ultimately cost the team any points in difficult conditions.
“The weather played a huge part in the game and although we went in at half-time ten points down we still felt confident,” he said.
“The wind played a big role in the game and we probably didn’t really capitalise on it in the second half.
“We let them up the field quite cheaply with our indiscipline and defensive errors.
“But it is a positive game for us and we take plenty from it. We are going to learn from games like that.
“We had a good first half. A few things didn’t go our way, but we were in a good place and felt good going out second half,” he added.
“It was the third quarter where it got away from us. Credit to Glasgow, they turned the screw.
“They have experienced players who put us on the back foot in the second half, although we had our chances and scored two good tries.
“We thought we had a chance to win it going into that final ten minutes and there are a few errors we now need to work on.
“We will review what went wrong and look to put that right next week."
Williams has now scored nine tries in 39 games for Dragons but insisted his first try – an intercept that saw him run in from 60 yards out – was just good timing.
“It felt like a long way running it in into that wind,” he smiled. “It was a one of those when I was in the right place at the right time and I just managed to get the legs going.
“The second one was after a great break from Sam (Davies) and a nice pass from Shippy (Ellis Shipp). We showed with that score what we are capable of.”
Watch the Dragons when they welcome their South African side Toyota Cheetahs to Rodney Parade on Saturday, February 29 (kick-off 5:15pm). Click HERE to buy your tickets and join us for more top Guinness PRO14 action.
We love playing at home, the crowd gets behind us and hopefully we will get a good turnout for these back-to-back games...
