Boss Filo Tiatia wants his Dragons who have narrowly missed out on Wales call-ups to be ‘razor sharp ready’ if called upon – after revealing how Steve Tandy reached out to several players at the Men of Gwent.
Dragons duo Aaron Wainwright and Ben Carter were this week named by Wales in the squad for the upcoming Six Nations.
Tiatia admits he was ‘disappointed’ for any of his players who missed out on call-ups – but he wants them to use the feedback they have been given and be ready in case they are called for later in the tournament.
“I was disappointed for all our players that didn’t get the opportunity to be in the Six Nations squad that (Steve) Tandy and the coaches have put together,” stated Tiatia.
“What has been good has been the communication around areas that players need to keep getting better at.
“I felt for Rio (Dyer). I called him after the team was announced and just checked in. He is motivated to keep improving.
“Brodie (Coghlan) is the same. He got a call from Tandy and you also have Che Hope who got a call. He’s had had encouragement around his game and areas to tidy up on.
“Ryan Woodman is another one – he was close. But he has had some good feedback from Danny (Wilson). Angus O’Brien got a call as well and has been playing well.
“The real positive here is the players that have not been picked have areas to action to keep improving,” he added.
“It has been a change from the old regime, with no disrespect to the those, but there has been clarity and feedback. The coaching staff have connected with the players.
“I was disappointed that we didn’t get many, but I don’t pick the squad.
“All we can do is keep working with our players, be clear on how they shift forward and the players need to be razor sharp ready when called upon.”
Meanwhile, Tiatia believes coaching duo Dan Lydiate and Rhys Patchell will once again grow form the experience after being named as part of the backroom team.
“I am stoked for them. They had an opportunity in the autumn series and came back better coaches,” he said.
“When you go into a new environment and are surrounded by quality coaches, and that challenge, you learn what other people do at other clubs.
“It’s knowledge sharing, collaboration and challenge. I am excited for both and when they come back into our environment how they share the knowledge with our group.”
