Scrum half Rhodri Williams believes Dai Flanagan’s warts-and-all truthfulness can get Dragons get back to winning ways.
Williams acknowledge it has been a time for honesty at Rodney Parade after a run of defeats in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
The resolve of the team will be tested on Saturday night, when the Dragons are in Dublin to face mighty, unbeaten, 13 straight wins URC leaders Leinster (kick-off 7.35pm).
Home truths have been a feature of Flanagan’s analysis of recent performances - but Williams stresses that frank talking has been welcomed in the dressing room and responsibility is shared by all.
“We have absolutely needed honest conversations with ourselves and that’s what we have had,” says the No.9.
“I have had honest conversations with Dai myself and that has been respected. He’s straight with everyone.
“If you start telling different things to different people – or beating around the bush - then you get caught out.
“When things aren’t right in a playing group you must be honest about that and work on those things.
“The way the season is structured now, it has given us time to reflect. There are things in our game that we need to put right, and we will need to do that against Leinster.
“We are disappointed as a group with recent results, but it is not all doom and gloom,” added the 29-year-old.
“We should have won more games, but we have patches where we teams go 14-0 or even 21-0 ahead early on.
“We need to start delivering 80-minute performances and the results will change.
“I see a different attitude under Dai, and I believe there is genuine quality in this squad, but it’s no good showing it just in glimpses.”
Williams has never beaten Leinster in a Dragons shirt, although he did enjoy a victory over the European heavyweights back in 2015 as a replacement when he was with the Scarlets.
Even though they are stripped of some of their Irish international contingent, it normally fails to cause even a hic-cup in the green machine.
They have also been strengthened by the release of several internationals from Andy Farrell’s squad this week – including Jimmy O’Brien, Jordan Larmour and Jamie Osborne.
“Leinster are the best and even though they have lost lots of international players, they don’t seem to lose quality,” said Williams.
“They lose players, the next guy comes in, fits rights in, and the whole teams functions pretty much as it did before.
“It comes down to how well structed they are. They lose individuals, but they never seem to lose that structure. It’s the same old Leinster.
“I’ve played Leinster before when you look at their team sheet, you think they might be disrupted. When you get on the field, you realise they’re not.
“It’s going to be a massive test for us. But we are excited as a group to have this huge challenge.”
S4C – Saturday, 7.30pm – Clwb Rygbi: Leinster v Dragons Live coverage from the RDS Arena in Dublin of the BKT United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Dragons. English commentary available.
We have absolutely needed honest conversations with ourselves and that’s what we have had...
