THE DRAGONS have promoted Barry Maddocks to backs and attack coach with Irishman Alan Kingsley joining to fill his old role.

Maddocks arrived from Bath last season as skills coach but has been given more responsibility for the coming campaign by boss Bernard Jackman.

In 2017/18 the head coach was in charge of the attack while former Dragons fly-half Shaun Connor, who left at the end of the season, looked after the backs.

Ex-Aberavon centre Maddocks has been a leading figure at pre-season training as the Rodney Parade region put their attacking framework in place.

Kingsley, a former half-back in Irish club rugby and a kicking specialist, has filled his old position and will also work as attack and backs coach with the new Dragons Under-23s side.

"My role has changed to looking after the backs and the attacking shape in conjunction with Bernard," said Maddocks, who was assistant academy manager at Bath and previously coached Aberavon, England's sevens teams, Wales Under-16s and Hartpury College.

"There is more responsibility than before because I was supporting Shaun and leading a lot of the skill development,"

"Now there is much more about the gameplan, structural stuff and working with the backs on their skills, decision-making and attacking starter plays… quite a bit more responsibility!

"Pre-season is the busiest time, the layering bit. It's getting a lot of the principles in place and doing the hard yards now, then as you go through the season you have a foundation and tweak little bits as you go.

"We have an attacking framework and within that the players take responsibility for how we mould and shape that.

"I could come up with something but if they don't believe in it then it's just wasting my time and their time."

Kingsley played in Irish club rugby before a spell with the University of Western Australia in Perth.

He worked as kicking coach with the Western Force academy before returning home to become head coach of Navan.

Kingsley combined that role with being skills and kicking assistant to the Leinster Under-19s and age-grade squad as well as backs and attack coach with St Mary's College in Dublin.

Now he has become the latest addition to the Dragons' backroom staff, joining summer arrivals Ian Evans (assistant forwards coach), Simon Norris (head of performance analysis), Michael Symes and Jack Phelan (conditioning coaches) and Doug Crichton (nutritionist).

"I was involved in the under-age set-up at Leinster and around the seniors a tiny bit but an opportunity like this is massive," said Kingsley, who visited the Dragons last season as part of his coaching development.

"It was a no-brainer to come over and it's been a great start. They are long days at the moment and it's all rugby, rugby, rugby but it's really enjoyable.

"Barry is from a skills background and is very attack-minded, so he is going to be a great help while the lads are mad for their extras, so hopefully we will see big improvements come September."