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The frank conversation that could just end Dragons' depressing history of losing

By Martyn Thomas
Dean Ryan is charged with turning around the Dragons' fortunes

When Dragons chairman David Buttress arrived at Rodney Parade in September 2017, he outlined his ambition to turn the region into Wales’ best within five years.

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“I think that’s a very realistic and achievable objective,” Buttress said at the time. A few weeks previously then-head coach Bernard Jackman had claimed it could be achieved in three.

Jackman departed last December having overseen five wins in 31 PRO14 games, and this week Buttress was back in the Bisley Stand to announce his permanent successor, Dean Ryan.

It has been a long season, with caretaker head coach Ceri Jones leading the Dragons to a second successive sixth-placed finish in Conference B as the chairman juggled the search for a new boss – his first such appointment – with the off-field uncertainty of Project Reset.

Buttress admits the past 20 months have been testing but insists he is enjoying life at the Dragons.

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“I started a business with a mate of mine in a flat with no money. Literally, no money – literally none – for the first year or two,” the former Just Eat UK chief executive told RugbyPass.

“Going home and telling your mrs that you’ve made 36 quid between two of you in the first month of trading, so you’ve got 18 quid left, and then six months later running out of money as a business and having to find a way to run on fumes.

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“If you want to know what tough feels like professionally, that’s tough. That’s really tough.

“This, of course, is a different challenge but what I’d say is the reason why I enjoy it so much is I can see a way that we build something here that is going to be really different and special in Welsh rugby.

Dean Ryan has been announced as Dragons’ new director of rugby (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

“Is that going to be easy? No. Is there risk in it? Yes, definitely. But I’m hopeful, you know. I think if we all are clear about what we want to do and we all do our jobs well, then I think we’ve got a good chance.”

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Tellingly bombast was absent on Tuesday as Buttress sat in an executive box alongside Ryan as the former Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester boss was unveiled as the new director of Dragons Rugby, a position that includes a place on the region’s board.

The only timeline offered was the six to eight months that Ryan believes it will take him to understand the challenges faced by the Dragons and what needs to be done to help turn the region with the smallest playing budget in Wales into contenders.

“Dean and I, of course, have actually been through a process together,” Buttress said.

“We have actually both had really frank and open discussions about a) what needs to be done and b) how hard it’s going to be, and, actually, c) what we both think of how we should go about it.

Gavin Henson is moving into the pub trade after being released by Dragons (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

“And so, I think what we have now which we didn’t have before is really clear alignment between Dean and I about what needs to get done and in what time.

“And I think that alignment is probably the single most important factor around why this will be a long-term partnership. And I’m sure it will be.”

Buttress speaks highly of the work Jackman did off the field while at the Dragons – “often the person that makes the tough decisions isn’t necessarily the benefactor of those tough decisions” – but the job facing Ryan in Gwent is stark.

In a disappointing season for Welsh sides in the PRO14, the Ospreys won 12 matches to finish highest of the four regions. By contrast, the Dragons won five games last term and have amassed only 11 victories in the past three campaigns combined.

Ryan inherits a squad that looked thin in key positions before nine players departed at the end of the regular season. He will also be without up to five internationals due to the Rugby World Cup when he begins work over the summer, but Buttress knows this is a long-term project.

“Success is three things for me,” he added. “First of all, [it’s] that we’ve built a successful team on the pitch that everyone’s proud of.

“That means, obviously, we’re winning games and people are enjoying us and how we play. So, we’re successful on the pitch and we play in a way that people want to be part of and it feels, to local people here in Gwent, a team that they are standing behind.

“I think the second thing for me – this is probably specific to me – I want to build something sustainable. So, I want to build something that my grankids can come to in 30 years’ time and enjoy rugby here because we’ve built something around the Dragons that is a sustainable rugby entity.

Dragons head coach Ceri Jones
Current Dragons head coach Ceri Jones

“And what does that mean? It means that it’s self-sustaining. So, if everything else changes in the world, we’ve built a club here that really does just take care of itself and run well from a financial perspective. So, I’m probably most responsible or feel most responsible for that.

“I think the third thing is it’s fun. I think people forget sometimes – what business are we in?

“We’re in the business of playing rugby and professional sport, and I think it should be fun for both people who work here and people who come here.

“I think sometimes in Welsh rugby we take ourselves a little bit too seriously, so, I think just being light-hearted and having some fun around it is something I’m looking forward to. Because it’s great to have hard work but you want to enjoy it too.”

Dragons fans at Rodney Parade are hoping Dean Ryan can lead the struggling Welsh club to better times (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Buttress reiterated his belief that it would be best for all four regions if the Dragons were independent from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), who bought them – and Rodney Parade – outright in 2017.

He has held talks with private investors interested in buying a majority stake in the region but does not believe those need to be concluded before redevelopment work can begin in NP19.

Buttress has long identified development of the north end of the nine-acre Rodney Parade site as a way to generate revenue.

“The WRU has a very long and successful track record of developing various assets,” he said. “I think whoever owned this club would want to do pretty much similar things.”

Buttress added: “I think what you would have here – which you wouldn’t have if it wasn’t independent – is you have a hundred per cent focus on making it happen if [the Dragons are] privately owned.

“Of course if it’s part of a much bigger group it sits in the priorities alongside other big priorities, whereas around here if it’s independently owned as the Dragons, it is the single and most important priority.”

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Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

21 Go to comments
A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

21 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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