'New Dragons boss must be backed for three full years to spark more magic moments'

THE Dragons' chosen one will have had a spring in their step on Saturday evening, excited about what could lie ahead after watching the dramatic Judgement Day victory over the Scarlets.

Had the Rodney Parade region repeated the 59-10 December debacle against Leinster's second string or 57-7 February horror show versus a Benetton side shorn of its Italy internationals, then chairman David Buttress may have found his calls going straight to his first choice's answerphone.

Instead, the prospective new boss would have tuned in to Premier Sports, if they are a subscriber, to see the Dragons finish a shocking season with one of the most memorable wins for years.

For a mere league derby success, as excellent as it was, to be celebrated so wildly shows how little there has been to cheer over recent seasons.

That hammers home both the size of the task facing that individual but also the praise that can be earned from driving levels of improvement that would be greeted with 'meh' at almost every other professional club in the UK.

The interviews have been completed, a decision has been made and an announcement is imminent about who will succeed Bernard Jackman.

Buttress and the board are putting the final touches to the contract and when pen is put to paper the big reveal will happen, be it at the end of this week or the start of next.

Given that an announcement has not yet happened, one will assume that someone got cold feet if caretaker head coach and candidate Ceri Jones gets the nod.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips stated in March that it's the biggest decision facing the Dragons and it's hard to argue.

"I am not trying to put too much pressure on David, but if he gets a good coach and a good coaching team in place then there is a good squad in place," said Phillips.

Getting the right man is imperative, because Judgement Day showed the potential of the Dragons but also highlighted their failures.

The thrilling 34-32 win made it a magnificent end to a nightmare season that has painfully dragged on longer than a tedious CGI battle scene.

There were two big highs courtesy of derby victories against the Ospreys and Scarlets but that was about it.

There was relief at edging out Edinburgh in November and mild discontent at the manner of successes against Southern Kings and Zebre in September.

The list of shockers was a lot longer and a campaign that promised much delivered little, so nobody is suggesting that a first Judgement Day triumph papers over the cracks.

However, the win against the Scarlets does show that there is promise at Rodney Parade and that the new man has something to work with.

This is not a poisoned chalice but the task is a massive one and the head honcho will be asked to make a side greater than the sum of its parts.

The budget will be small, the squad depth will be thin, there will be a reliance on the academy plugging some gaps. Vultures will circle around Cory Hill, Elliot Dee, Aaron Wainwright, Ollie Griffiths, Taine Basham, making retention a constant challenge.

The new boss must arrive with his eyes wide open and the board must back him for at least three years.

This time it needs to be done properly; let them shake things up an and improve season on season, because if they don't then goodness knows what the future holds for pro rugby in the east.

In an ideal world Jackman would have been given the length of his contract but mistakes were made, the landscape changed and that simply was not possible.

His successor cannot arrive with talk of 2020/21, things need to get better from September onwards.

The win over the Scarlets was so memorable because it was in a campaign of so much dross, misery, change and uncertainty.

Nobody expects the next head coach to turn the Dragons into play-off contenders and Champions Cup regulars but we do expect more than a handful of happy weekends every season.

WHEN Matthew Screech powered over at Principality Stadium not only did he give Jason Tovey a shot at the win but he earned the Dragons their first try bonus point of the season in the Guinness PRO14.

That they scored four tries, amassed 34 points and were still hanging on for victory (and thankful for a rare Leigh Halfpenny off-day from the tee) highlights the pressing need for defensive improvement – and a defensive appointment.

The Dragons' line was crossed five times by the Scarlets, taking their league tally to a whopping 84. In 21 fixtures they shipped try bonuses 12 times.

Include the European Challenge Cup and the Dragons headed under their posts to wait for conversions on 113 occasions in 2018/19.

Their generosity led to coach Hendre Marnitz being shown the door in November with Bernard Jackman and then academy manager James Chapron then taking over defensive responsibility.

Of course, you could argue attack is the best form of defence and the Dragons' failures in that department (the second worst try count in the PRO14 with 37, regularly poor possession and territory stats) has put them under too much stress.

But whoever lands the top job needs to have the recruitment of a defensive lieutenant close to the top of their to-do list, because the Dragons don't have the firepower to frequently repeat their feat against the Scarlets.