Filo Tiatia admitted a disappointing opening half had ultimately cost his Dragons as they lost to Scarlets in the New Year’s Day derby at Parc y Scarlet.
The Men of Gwent were 24-3 behind at the break in the BKT United Rugby Championship clash before second half tries from Taine Basham and Huw Anderson saw them mount a second half fightback.
And Interim Head Coach Tiatia insisted the short turnaround from Boxing Day was no excuse for the first 40 minutes.
“I was disappointed with the first half. Clearly, we weren’t at the races, we were flat, had no energy on both sides of the ball, and we conceded soft tries,” said Tiatia.
“In the second half they were a different team. The short turnaround is a short turnaround, you just have to front up and if you are going to wear the jersey, as a group, then you have to fill it.
“We have a lot of growth to do, and not just the players, to make sure performances are where they need to be. We have work to do.
“We have spoken about the New Year, the opportunity to make a choice and we do it together. Some habits are hard to break.
“We have got some injuries and players getting opportunities. A lot of young players have taken those, and I am proud of them.
"I am proud of the effort in the second half, but I wouldn't say that I was of the first. We were just not where we needed to be in the first half.
"Our attitude during the week was good but it didn’t show in the first half performance,” he added.
“We saw a reaction in the second, and if we had performed better in the first then we would be at the races and competing.
“But if you give good teams like the Scarlets 40 minutes to do what they want then it makes it hard to compete and stay in the score.”
I am proud of the effort in the second half, but I wouldn't say that I was of the first. We were just not where we needed to be in the first half...
