Boss Dean Ryan admitted the battle at the breakdown was pivotal as his Dragons slipped to defeat against Glasgow Warriors – on a night that he insisted would be a ‘valuable’ lesson for this team.
Centre Aneurin Owen raced over for a first half try but Glasgow battled back to wrap up a 27-16 win at Cardiff City Stadium in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup.
It was a bruising and physical encounter in the Welsh capital as Glasgow avenged two defeats earlier this season.
But for Director of Dragons Rugby, Ryan, it was an evening that his side should take a huge amount from.
“I thought it was tasty - it was from the last game at Principality Stadium,” he said. “They came and obviously felt that we got on them physically last time.
“I thought it was a great contest and they were better than us at the breakdown area.
“They edged us a little bit, particularly physically around the breakdown and with a scrum that kept marching us up the field.
“We’re playing some good stuff and people are worried about that opening up, so obviously the breakdown becomes a huge challenge. We know where our focus needs to be.
“We’ve got to work out how we can be more physical in there,” he added. “We know if it gets fast we can play, but they weren’t going to allow us to do that easily. It’s a great spot for us to be in, to try and work out what to do.
“In the past we would have run off and tried to find some random answer that would have exposed us. We didn’t do that.
“I didn’t enjoy the result, but I quite enjoyed watching us today because that is what the game is about.
"We don’t all play the same way, there are lots of ways to play it, and I like it is as a contest when you are trying to get your game going.
“I felt it was really valuable for us so I left players like Jack (Dixon) and Aneurin (Owen) out there to try and work it out.
“I think that was a really valuable lesson, a really good moment for us.
“We did physically outmuscle them at the Principality Stadium and they came with an intention that we weren’t going to do it again.
“When that happens that is when you have got to work out what you are going to do.
“I thought it was a great physical contest and I’m enjoying where we are as a side at the moment.”
We’re playing some good stuff and people are worried about that opening up, so obviously the breakdown becomes a huge challenge... We know where our focus needs to be...
