Head Coach Dai Flanagan has paid tribute to hooker Elliot Dee ahead of his milestone 150th game for the Dragons – describing him as a ‘true Man of Gwent’ who deserves a victory on his special night.
Dee will lead Dragons into battle when they face Connacht Rugby in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Saturday evening at Rodney Parade (kick-off 8pm).
He will become only the 12th player to each the 150 marker for the club.
Flanagan said: “Elliot is a fantastic kid. I have known him since he was 16 and he works extremely hard. His X-factor is his work rate.
“He is a true man of Gwent who cares unbelievably about the badge.
“Gwent is everything for Elliot and I am sure he will want to finish his career here and leave a legacy. This is part of that journey for him.
“We need to make sure we give him a special day, something he can look back on in 30 years and remember it for the right reasons - and that is winning.”
Looking at areas he wants improvements on, Flanagan has challenged his players to play more multi-phase and cut out the errors that are undermining performances.
“There were certain elements of our defence in the second half against Benetton that were better, that forced error and turnovers, and created two tries,” he stated.
“But we were sticky in attack, didn’t get through multi-phase. We kicked well and competed in the air, but we didn’t win the 50/50s.
“There is a big onus this week on starting better. We are at home in front of our people, and we are challenging ourselves to go a lot more multi-phase.
“Rodney Parade has always been a tough place for team to come, but we need to make it tougher,” he added.
“That is why we need to limit errors, put more pressure on away teams earlier in games and see games off.
“There are games this season where I have sat comfortably for 60 minutes and then not very comfortable for the last 20 minutes. We need to see things off.
“We need to take pride in what we do and having that concentration level for longer. We can be intense, but it is for a short period.
“We need to be intense for longer and we need to look into each other’s eyes and really working for each other a bit more.”
Watch the Dragons this Saturday as they face Connacht Rugby (kick-off 8pm) in the BKT United Rugby Championship. CLICK HERE to buy your tickets now or call 01633 670690 during office hours.
Elliot is a fantastic kid... He is a true man of Gwent who cares unbelievably about the badge...
