A THROWAWAY comment by Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said it all after the West Walians' derby win over Newport Gwent Dragons.

The New Zealander had been asked why his side had run the ball from a penalty after 80 minutes rather than kicking it off given that they could not earn a bonus point but the visitors could have sneaked one.

"With all due respect to the Dragons, I don't believe they are going to be problem to us in getting into the top four," he said after revealing the decision had come from the stands.

Ouch. The truth hurts, although one would question his assumption that the Scarlets will be in the playoff mix.

The Dragons headed into the campaign with intentions of changing their image as a basement dweller yet they look hard pressed to avoid mixing it with Treviso, Zebre, Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues.

In truth it looks like it will take some luck for them to finish above their rivals from the capital.

How quickly things can change and it has been the manner of the performances that has disappointed more than the results.

They have produced five games of pretty joyless rugby, fare that almost makes you long for the days when the Dragons had no set piece but at least threw the ball around and scored some terrific tries.

Yes, injuries have struck but the Dragons are capable of so much more.

They certainly need to produce a slicker performance against Edinburgh on Saturday in a Guinness Pro12 clash that will test the ability of the Sky Sports marketing department to the limit.

Last weekend the cameras headed to a jam-packed Aviva Stadium for the derby between Leinster and Munster, on Saturday the backdrop at 2.40pm will be a rather soulless Murrayfield.

One imagines the game between title contenders Ulster and Glasgow at 5.05pm may be the one getting the big sell in the build-up rather than the clash of two strugglers.

Edinburgh, like the Dragons, have endured a poor start to the campaign despite starting with a tremendous win against Munster at Thomond Park, their only success in their last 10 fixtures.

Their struggles contrast starkly to the rise of Glasgow and they appear to have an identity crisis.

At one stage in the second half of their 30-0 defeat to Ulster at Ravenhill last Friday there wasn't a single player on the pitch who was born in Scotland.

It's not always as simple as that – after all, Dan Lydiate and Hallam Amos were developed at Rodney Parade despite them being born in the north west of England – but Edinburgh players are more familiar with snacking on South African biltong than Scottish tablet.

At least the Dragons produce their own, even if they need to provide more talent that takes the next step onto the international stage. In the next World Cup cycle they desperately need Amos, Tyler Morgan, Jack Dixon, Elliot Dee, Joe Davies & Co to be in the mix.

The region has some pretty good young talent on the books but need to perform better to turn it into Test talent – and if Dragons keep hanging around the bottom of the Pro12 then their players will soon be picked off by regional rivals or English clubs just across the border.

In cricket Leicestershire have gone two seasons without victory in the second division of the County Championship and have got used to their best players (and even some fair to middling ones) heading for pastures new.

Stuart Broad, Darren Stevens, James Taylor, Luke Wright, Jim Allenby, Harry Gurney and now Josh Cobb, Shiv Thakor and Nathan Buck have all left Grace Road.

It used to be that they moved to improve their international chances – just as James Harris left Glamorgan for Middlesex – but now it seems they are just making sideways moves to get out of there.

The Dragons received a huge boost in the summer of 2013 when Taulupe Faletau signed a new contract with the region but if they are to persuade top talent to stay in the future then they need to break a cycle of failure.

The first five rounds of the Pro12 have made for depressing viewing but it's still early days.

However, we can ill afford to be looking back on another underwhelming campaign in May while being assured that seeds have been sown for a better 2015/16.