By Graham Thomas
The Welsh regions emerge, bleary-eyed, back into the autumn sunshine this weekend but it would be wrong to think they have been in hibernation.
According to Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan, it was far more dramatic than that.
“Up until now, it has been about survival – pure survival,” he says.
“We, as a region, and Welsh rugby as a whole, have been in survival mode. It was all about just getting through to the next week or month.
“I would struggle to see how the game could have gone any lower, from a professional and personal perspective.
“But in the last four months, I’ve not heard that word survival. We’ve gone from super negative to far more optimistic and that’s a reflection of new owners, a new chairman and a new spirit of forward-thinking.”
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The financial crisis, the concussion lawsuits, the endless debating about structure and whether there needs to be a re-build, the issues in Welsh rugby have been so focused on off-field events, the stuff on the pitch has struggled to get a look-in.
But even though budgets across the four regions are still tight, and far beneath those of the teams from Ireland and Scotland, there is, at least, a sense of progress with new agreements and a vision that goes beyond being able to pay this month’s wages.
“Yes, there are still plenty of issues and problems in the sport,” adds Flanagan.
“But we have been able to now over-invest in our pathways, so we have gone from two coaches and one manager in our academy to four coaches, an academy manager, a head of player development, two strength and conditioning coaches and a complete college programme.”
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If that’s for the future, what about the here and now? How do the Dragons stop being the region that has more sand kicked in its face than a beach-full of tourists at a bodybuilders’ seaside convention?
If the game in Wales had been emptied, then it was often the Dragons who lived near the bottom of the barrel.
“We have moved on and that’s reflected in our recruitment,” says Flanagan.
“Last season, it was all about retaining our best assets in the likes of Rio Dyer, Aaron Wainwright and Taine Basham.
“But this season, we have added experience, quality and leadership in the likes of Steve Cummins, Lloyd Evans and Solomone Funaki.”
If the Dragons have strengthened and are feeling more optimistic about themselves and their future, then that upswing is also reflected elsewhere.
The Ospreys are bullish after finishing in the top eight of the United Rugby Championship last season, whilst Cardiff seemed to win back their supporters’ affection last season, even if they only won four matches.
The Scarlets look the most in need of a confidence boost, since not only did their find it a struggle for victories, they also appeared to lose their identity and that will take time to repair.
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What Flanagan believes can revive Welsh rugby is that broader identity that extends down into the grass roots, the kind of spirit that keeps the game alive at club level despite all the problems and counter-attractions.
If the four regions can harness some of that devotion for themselves, then they have a chance of progress.
“There is still a feeling in 70-odd clubs in the Gwent region of people who can’t wait for the weekend to see their mates down at the rugby club,” says Flanagan.
“That’s what I was brought up on – the sense that when you are away from the game and a rugby club, then you miss it. I worked in schools as a teacher and I missed rugby, so that’s why I came back into the game.”
As for this weekend, the Dragons’ revolution may take some time to get into full swing, according to the bookmakers.
The Ospreys are 4/9 favourites to win at Rodney Parade on Saturday, whereas Cardiff are backed to start their campaign with a win over Zebre at the Arms Parks on Friday night, at 1/9.
Like the Dragons, the Scarlets are outsiders to get away to a flier in Italy – where they are 11/4 for the win, compared to Benetton Treviso’s 2/7.
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