Head Coach Dai Flanagan has vowed to continue to be true to himself as he continues to evolve Dragons RFC and a brand of rugby to entertain supporters.
Flanagan has been at Dragons over six months now and admits it has been both an enjoyable and steep learning curve in his new role as Head Coach.
As Dragons prepare to resume BKT United Rugby Championship later this month at unbeaten Leinster, Flanagan took time out earlier this week to speak to URC Unloaded about his time at the club.
And he opened up on the culture he is determined to instil at the club and the way he plans to keep developing the team and brand on show.
“I am loving my time here,” said Flanagan. “There are a lot of good people at our rugby club, starting from the Chairman all the way down to the Academy staff.
“It’s been a big learning curve for me, but I’m trying to learn something every day and pick things up.
“I’m also being myself. I’ll run it my way and some people will like that, and some people may not. I’m enjoying what I’m doing.
“I was initially very hands on, tracksuit and whistle for every session,” he added.
“A learning curve for me was there’s a lot more responsibility on me off field now. I have had to learn to delegate a bit more and trust the staff around me.
“But I’m in this job to make players better and to do that I have got to be in the thick of it with them. I’ll never relinquish that."
Flanagan grew up around rugby with his father always bringing the family together at the local club - it is that culture he wants to see shine through at Dragons.
“I grew up in a rugby club, my dad played for Penallta all his life, and I have been built on that rugby club ethos,” he said. “I am a big family man, and my family extends to everyone in this facility.
“I have learnt a lot of lessons along the way. Rugby is still a game. As much as it’s a job and it pays the bills, we can’t lose what it’s all about.
“I’ve always found that quite refreshing from a lot of the foreign players who come over to the country.
“I try to be a rugby club first and in any rugby club you look after the families first. People come in and enjoy what they do, enjoy the journey.
“It won’t last forever for anyone, players or staff, so when you’re in it you’ve got to enjoy it.”
Reflecting on what success means to him and the club at the current time, Flanagan acknowledges seeing young players come through the pathway is crucial.
“We need to understand what success looks like for us. Are we going to win Europe or win the league? No. But can we compete in more games and should be winning more games? Yes,” he said.
“There is nothing more pleasing for me than seeing local boys represent our country. Seeing Rio (Dyer) come through the Dragons pathway.
“We’ve got to do more of that, produce a lot more players, and the results will come on the back of it.
“I’ve rotated the squad quite a bit because I do believe in giving people game time and opportunity, especially under a new Head Coach,” he added.
“It’s unfair to give one player a start here and then not start him again for another six weeks. You must give boys time in shirt to show what they can do.
“There is also nothing like playing so if you want to build some depth, you want to develop people and players, they must play rugby."
As for the young players in the squad, Flanagan’s message is clear.
“With the majority of our youngsters, they can be as good as they want to be,” he stated.
“A lot of it is down to them and how hard they drive themselves daily to work on what they need to work on.
“I think Rio would say openly that one of his biggest learnings was spending time with Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams and seeing the extra work they do in aerial skills.
“The stuff they do when the whistle finishes at the end of the session. Sometimes that is where the important stuff happens.
“I see that daily with Rio now. How he leads our back three with extras and he has a great mentor in someone like Ashton Hewitt, they work well together.
“I say to all the youngsters, you can be as good as you want to be. But you’ve got to drive yourself there.”
Dragons now have one more game on ‘home soil’ when they face Connacht Rugby at Rodney Parade on Saturday, March 4 (kick-off 7.35pm).
The Men of Gwent are also designated as a home team on Judgement Day against Scarlets in April.
Flanagan has spoken about how much he has enjoyed playing at home his season and the impact of a passionate Gwent crowd on proceedings.
But he also acknowledges it is now down to the players and club to give back to fans and give them a brand of rugby that can believe in.
“Everyone who has played at Rodney Parade against the Dragons knows how difficult it can be,” smiled Flanagan.
“We’ve got to give the fans something to cheer for, so we know we’ve got to play our part.
“We can’t just keep asking for them to be our 16th man. We’ve got to give them something to believe in and that is our job.
“It’s a traditional rugby ground, it has very committed fans who turn up week in and week out and give us that extra energy at home.
“We’ve spent quite a bit of time on our attacking shape. We want to build a brand that people want to come and watch,” he added.
“It’s an entertainment business and we want to sell a brand that people can buy into and can get excited to watch the Dragons play.
“There are easier ways to win games, don’t get me wrong, sometimes you can take the kicking zone further up the field and we can be that way. In hindsight, perhaps we should have been that way.
“But I do believe in the process and Rodney Parade is different to what it used to be. The pitch is outstanding. We always used to go there, and it was a bit messy and a lot of water.
“But now we must play a brand that can challenge these top teams in a proper game of rugby. That is what I am challenging our group to do daily.”
I’m in this job to make players better and to do that I have got to be in the thick of it with them. I’ll never relinquish that...
