Tribute to Dragons Supporter Mike Lockey

The Newport Gwent Dragons have graciously allowed the Dragon's Supporters to organise a minute's applause for one of their own at this Saturday's home fixture with Munster (17th Sep 17:15 Kick Off @ Rodney Parade) .

On the 37th Minute of the match a minute's applause will take place for Mike Lockey, a hugely popular figure with his fellow supporters, and a massive contributor to numerous charities and the local community.

Everybody's thoughts go out to his family in this emotional time for them, and as fellow Dragon's supporters it's only fitting that we take the time to pay this tribute to such a fantastic human being, and offer our support to his friends and family.

Therefore we would please request that our fellow supporter's to join in the tribute on the 37th minute, and stand up for this true 'Man of Gwent' ... 

Newport Gwent Dragons 11 - Zebre 6

The Dragons recorded their first victory since the Leinster game in January, with a hard fought win against the Italian team in the floodlights of Rodney Parade.

The crowd of circa 4.5K watched the Dragons attempts to introduce the much discussed higher tempo style of play against a stubborn and determined Zebre team.  There indeed seemed to be a greater intent to spread the play, and a noticeable increase in pace, but due to the defensive efforts of the Italian team, the team seemed to become increasingly lateral as the game progressed.

Many of the more promising moves broke down with handling errors, and some misplaced off-loads, which illustrates the attempts Kinglsey Jones and the team are making in terms of changing the style of play that the Dragons will utilise through the coming season.

At the final whistle frustration seemed to be the over-riding emotion of the day, but the victory was nonetheless important, and the ability for the coaching staff to assess these changes to the team's tactics and style in another competitive fixture will hopefully pay dividends as the season progresses.

Ed Jackson stood out on the night, showing some good handling, and some direct running throughout the game, and deservedly picked up the MoM award at the end of the evening.  In addition, Paddy Howard scored his second try in 2 games, to continue his excellent start to life in a Dragons jersey.

Newport Gwent Dragons: H Amos; A Warren, T Morgan, S Beard, P Howard; N Macleod, S Pretorius; T Davies, R Thomas, B Harris, N Crosswell, R Landman, L Evans (capt), N Cudd, E Jackson.  Replacements: W Buckley, S Hobbs, L Fairbrother, M Screetch, J Thomas, C Davies, A O'Brien, GR Jones.

Dragons Summer Skills Camp a Roaring Success

Wales international Tyler Morgan attends the summer skills camp at Rodney Parade 

Another successful summer of Dragons skills camps has now concluded, with over 50 children taking the opportunity to enhance and develop their rugby skills. The camps, run at Rodney Parade and Ystrad Mynach, were the perfect backdrop to allow the development of young rugby players who, like previous participants Hallam Amos and Harri Keddie, aspire to be top professional rugby players.

The courses were delivered by Dragons Community Department employees Mike Sage and Janice Chappell and provided an excellent combination of skills, drills and coaching for individuals who wanted to enhance their rugby knowledge and develop as players.

Many of the children had attended camps in previous years and it was great to see how they had progressed since they last attended, as well as show them new skills and techniques to further their development. It was also great to see lots of eager new faces, some who had never tried rugby before. This created a good blend of abilities who came together to learn from top quality coaches as well as meet and learn from some of the Dragons top stars.

The camps at Rodney Parade, home of the Dragons, lasted three days, allowing ample time for the children to develop all aspects of their rugby performance. Day 1 focussed on running, fitness and an introduction to ball work, and participants ended the day with a game of touch rugby. The second day built on the skills learned on day one and introduced evasion skills, while day 3 saw an introduction to contact and the tackle which culminated in a 30 minute full contact game. Following the game, stars from the Dragons arrived to hand out goody bags, sign autographs and pose for photos with the children.

This year, participants also took part in a quiz  each lunchtime. The quiz was a welcome change of pace for the participants after a tremendous effort throughout the morning. It consisted of 50 general knowledge questions ranging from rugby and the Dragons, to children’s television programmes like Scooby Doo.

Some participants also attended a stadium tour of Rodney Parade to learn more about the history of ground and of the region. The tour included taking a peek into the Dragons' changing rooms, gym and concluded with a walk through the new Bisley stand.

Each participant also received free season membership of the Dragons, encouraging them to come with their families to Rodney Parade and get behind the men of Gwent.

Skills camps will be running again this half term at Rodney Parade and Ystrad Mynach for children between the ages of 8 and 14. If you would like your child to learn from top quality coaches, develop their skills in a new and inspiring environment and have the opportunity to meet their Dragons' heroes, email Mike Sage at mike.sage@rodneyparadeltd.com

Ryan Robinson – Dragons Community Ambassado

Wales international Tyler Morgan and Dragons captain Lewis Evans with participants of the Dragons Summer Skills Camp

DOSC Require Match Day Volunteers for Dragons Matches

The Dragons Official Supporters' Club committee are looking for volunteers to assist with match day activities throughout the season.

We have nothing to offer you but blood, sweat, toil and tears, but those who do sign up will have our utmost respect and can sleep soundly at night knowing they are contributing, a little bit at a time, to improving the match day experience for all supporters of the region.

The type of activities we will need assistance with include:-

• Selling raffle tickets
• Hosting supporters from other teams
• Assisting with the guard of honour on match days

If this sounds appealing, or you really just have too much time on your hands, then please do drop us an email at contact.us@dragonssupportersclub.com. We may even be able to buy you a widely sought after DOSC T-shirt and a pint or two.

Look forward to hearing from you!

#standupforthemenofGwent

VIDEO: Season Preview with Lewis Evans

Dragons skipper Lewis Evans took time out of his busy pre season schedule to talk to the DOSC committee about the upcoming season, our new style of play and balancing rugby with pulling pints at his new business venture as landlord of The Lamb in Newport! Thank you to Lewis and Richard for their time, and Red90 for their support!

#standupforthemenofGwent!

The first Dragons players - where are they now?

Ever wonder what happened to the first players who donned a Dragons jersey in the region’s first competitive fixture? Well, wonder no more as we have delved into the archives and done some research to bring you a good old fashioned ‘where are they now’ article on the very first Dragons XV. The region’s first league game was against 6 September 2003, a 35-11 loss to the Scarlets at Stradey Park. Some of the players in that first side would go on to be stalwarts for the region, racking up a record number of appearances for the region and a few Welsh caps to boot. Read on to find out what those first Dragons players are doing now. We hope you enjoy reading as much as we did writing it.*

1. Adam Black

Barking born Black joined the Dragons from Ebbw Vale following the region's inception in 2003. Known for his strong scrummaging ability and charging runs, he made 163 appearances for the region and became a fan favourite at Rodney Parade, popping up on the scoresheet on many occasions. He left the region to join Worcester in 2009, going on to play 48 times for the Warriors before retiring in 2011. Following retirement, Adam and his wife Naomi moved to Cornwall and set up a luxury Yurt campsite near Bude (http://www.east-thornecornwall.co.uk/home/). Black is still involved in rugby as a player-coach for Bude RFC, helping them claim the Cornwall/Devon South West Division Championship in 2016. Proving the old adage that Props, like a fine wine, only get better with age.

2. Paul Young

Paul Young joined the Dragons in 2003 having previously played for Newport RFC. He joined as a Welsh international following his solitary cap vs Romania on 27 August 2003. Young was capped 16 times by the Dragons in the region’s first season before having to retire in 2005 after sustaining knee ligament injuries. Young went on to become head coach of Connacht feeder side, Galwegians, Highfield RFC and Bridgend RFC and also spent 5 years as director of rugby at Coleg Gwent in Cross Keys, a key feeder team to the Dragons Academy. He is currently a Director of So Exclusive Interiors, a provider of luxury furnishings for residential and commercial clients across the UK. http://soexclusiveinteriors.com/about-us/     

3. Chris Anthony

Chris Anthony won 17 international caps for Wales before arriving at the region from Ebbw Vale in 2003. The tight head, also known for his scrummaging, went on play 43 games for the region over 3 seasons before retiring in 2006. He is now a school teacher in the Neath valley area.

4. Ian Gough

Goughy in his Newport RFC days

An icon at Rodney Parade for his barnstorming performances and bone crunching hits in both Newport RFC and Dragons jerseys. Goughy, arguable one of the region’s greatest servants, played 139 times for Newport RFC before representing the Dragons 102 times in two stints from 2003 to 2007 and 2014 to 2015 (we won’t comment on 2007-2014!). He also went on to represent Wales 64 times between 1998 and 2009, being part of two grand slam winning squads in 2005 and 2008. Goughy retired in 2015 having played 494 games of professional rugby in a career which spanned 3 separate decades! He now works as a consultant for Education Staffing Solutions, sourcing educational professionals for schools and giving motivational speeches to schoolchildren. He is also an ambassador for the Princess Gate Charity Trust. 

5. Peter Sidoli

Another who joined the region from Ebbw Vale in 2003. Peter, brother of Rob, Sidoli was a reliable, underappreciated lock who went on to play 114 times for the region over 5 years before joining Calvisano in 2008. Sidoli went on to play for Neath RFC in 2009 and is now a personal trainer. He still turns out for Pontypridd RFC on occasions too! (http://www.sidolifitness.co.uk/)

6. Shawn van Rensburg

A South African back row who joined the region after spells at Bridgend, Neath, Toulon and Pontypool. He had two spells with the Dragons (2003/04 and 2005/06) racking up 16 appearances before switching to rugby league and representing the Celtic Crusaders. Is now back in South Africa and director of rugby at Glenwood High School, in Durban, having been head of rugby at Voortrekker High School (Pietermaritzburg).

7. Jason Forster

Fozzie is a cult hero at Rodney Parade having played for the Black and Ambers 109 times between 1999 and 2003 and scoring 45 tries! He joined the Dragons in 2003 and was capped 73 times for the region from 2003 to 2006, scoring 24 tries. He earned his one and only cap for Wales in their tour to Argentina in 2004, getting on the score sheet with a try in a 50-44 defeat (also represented Wales’ Sevens in two World Cups and toured with Barbarians). Forster left the Dragons in 2006 to join Doncaster Knights as a player coach, helping them to their highest ever league position before joining Henley as head coach in 2008. Forster had a spell as head coach at Chippenham RFC between 2010 and 2013, and he now combines being a sales executive at Clarity Copiers with ambassadorial duties at the Dragons.   

8. Rhys Oakley

Oakley joined the Dragons from Bristol RFC following their relegation from the English premiership in 2003. As well as representing the Dragons 50 times in 3 seasons, the number 8 also played for Wales twice in 2003, and for Wales Sevens in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Following his time at the Dragons, he left to join Leeds Tykes (now Yorkshire Carnegie) under then head coach Stuart Lancaster, who was head coach at the time. Oakley spent 5 years at Headingly before spending a season at Bourgoin in France and Northampton Saints before a two year stint as player-coach of Plymouth RFC. He is now a player-coach at Hartbury RFC.

9. Rhodri Jones

Played 12 times for the Dragons in their inaugural season before moving to the Scarlets in 2004. Since retiring from Rugby in 2005, he has continued his involvement within the game as senior team head coach at Trebanos for 7 years and now as backs coach at Swansea RFC. He is also Managing Director and Co-Founder of Accelerate Success, coaching and training provider dedicated to Sport. (http://qa.acceleratesuccess.writemedia.co.uk/about-us.aspx) 

10. Craig Warlow

Warlow joined the region in 2003 from Bridgend RFC and went on to amass 351 points in 69 appearances over four years between 2003 and 2007. Retired from playing in 2007 to become a sports lecturer, which he now does alongside a head coaching role at Newport RFC.

11. Ben Breeze

A player who is a triple international after representing England (sevens), Wales (sevens) and Rwanda (tens) in competition. Breeze Joined the region from Newport RFC having made 75 appearances for the Black and Ambers between 1999 and 2003, scoring 28 tries. He went on to play 56 times for the region, touching down 10 times before joining Exeter Chiefs in 2006. Following 3 seasons at Sandy Park, Breeze joined Bristol rugby as a community development officer, a role which he continues to fulfil to this day. He also had a stint as Director or Rugby at Cleve RFC.

12. Steve Winn

Winn joined the region from Swansea RFC in 2003 having previously played for Bridgend. He was capped 29 times for the region over two seasons before joining Newport RFC. Steve Winn Joined Cornish Pirates in 2006 where he made 88 starts and came off the bench 45 times as a replacement – his debut coming against Gwent club Ebbw Vale in August 2006. He re-joined Bridgend in recent years and has been involved in coaching, although he was a replacement in their victory over Pontypridd RFC in the 2015 Swalec Cup final.

13. Andy Marinos ©

Joined Newport RFC from the Stormers in 1999 and subsequently joined the Dragons in 2003, skippering the region in their first year. Marinos played 26 times in his one year at the Dragons as they narrowly missed out on the Celtic League title, settling for third place in what is their best finish to date. He also played 8 times for Wales between 2002 and 2003. Following retirement at the end of the 2003/04 season, Marinos moved up to the board room to become CEO of the Dragons, a role which he held for the 2004/05 season before moving back to his native South Africa. Since then he has combined a number of roles including SARU Acting Managing Director and Board Member (2008-10), Springbok Team Manager (2008), Manager of South African National Teams (2005-2010) and World Rugby Sevens Advisory Group (2008-2015). In January 2016 he rejoined SANZAR, a joint venture between the rugby unions of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as CEO.

14. Nathan Brew

Brewy was capped 75 times for the region in two stints from 2003 to 2007 and 2010 to 2011. He joined the region from Newport RFC in 2003 and left to join the Scarlets in 2007. He moved from Stradey Park to join Bristol in 2008 and, following a one year stint, had a season at Neath RFC in 2009, before re-joining the region for his final year of professional rugby in 2010. Brew was capped by Wales in 2003 in a try scoring display versus Romania. After rugby, Brew has had a variety of business interests and is now an area sales manager for Benchmark by Kingspan.

15. Brett Davey

The former Beddau, Bridgend, Caerphilly and Pontypridd maestro joined the region in 2003 and had one year at Rodney Parade, appearing 5 times and slotting two penalties. After hanging up his boots, he moved into coaching with Beddau RFC, before heading to England, where he had stints at the helm of Coventry, Cornish Pirates and Doncaster. He is now head coach of Caerphilly RFC where he was appointed ahead of the 16/17 season. 

*A special thanks to Chris Kirwan and the South Wales Argus for the pictures they supplied in this article.

Newport Gwent Dragons - Pro 12 Season Commences

The Competitive Season gets underway with the Pro 12 opener away to Ulster tomorrow (2nd Sept) night at 19:35.

The Dragons have named a strong team, with injuries to Elliott Dee and Brok Harris ruling them out, and Welsh Internationals Tyler Morgan and Hal Amos not yet ready to return after their summer tour to NZ.  Captain Lewis Evans and Nick Crosswell are also deemed fit enough to take a places on the Bench after minor knocks.

A few of the Squad will make their competitive debuts for the Region, with Props Sam Hobbs, Tom Davies and Craig Mitchell all named in squad, alongside fly-half Nick MacLeod, wing Pat Howard and Centre Sam Beard.  Our best wishes and congratulations go out to these new Dragons.

A lot of work in pre-season for the Dragons has been focused on playing a high-temp and passing game, and it will be good to see how these efforts translate against a high quality Ulster team.

Dragons Team: 

15: Carl Meyer 14: Adam Warren 13: Sam Beard 12: Jack Dixon 11: Paddy Howard 10: Nick MacLeod 9: Sarel Pretorius 1: Sam Hobbs 2: Rhys Thomas (c) 3: Craig Mitchell 4: Corey Hill 5: Rynard Landman 6: Ollie Griffiths 7: Nic Cudd 8: Ed Jackson

Replacements: Rhys Buckly; Tom Davies; Lloyd Fairbrother; Nick Crosswell; Lewis Evans; Charlie Davies; Angus O'Brien; Tyler Morgan

Judgement Day Ticket Allocation: Have your say

Judgement Day is to return for a fifth installment this season with the Men of Gwent once again taking on a western region at the Principality Stadium. We want to hear feedback from fans on how they think the region handled the allocation and sale of tickets for last year's event. Please provide comments in the feedback form below and these will be passed on to the ticketing office at the region. Things we would be interested to hear are:-

- What you liked and disliked about last year's ticketing process?

- Your thoughts on the allocation of seats at the Principality Stadium?

- How the process catered for season ticket holders?

- How easy it was for you and your friends to purchase seats sat together?

- Whether you feel the event was advertised enough in advance?

Supporters' Club Q&A with Stuart Davies & Kingsley Jones

On Thursday 18 August 2016, the Dragons Official Supporters' Club (DOSC) held their first 'formal' event at Rodney Parade, with an evening's Q&A with Stuart Davies and Kingsley Jones.

The event itself afforded the DOSC the ability to directly question Stuart & Kingsley with some of the points and observations made by the Supporters, and for the Region to provide the attendees with insight into the Region's progress, both on-field and off-field.

Kingsley Jones briefed the Supporters on the Team's pre-season work, the integration of new signings, and the efforts being made with regards to the playing style for the coming season.  Kingsley confirmed that intent was to develop the team's stye to complete more passes, increase tempo, and try to play more risk-reward Rugby.

Stuart Davies provided a brief on the ongoing efforts with regards to the future ownership of the Region, and the level of interest being generated towards a future sale of the Region.

Post completion of this Q&A the DOSC ran through the findings of the recently completed Supporters Survey, and confirmed that the priorities for the DOSC's efforts in coming weeks would be aligned to the findings and recommendations made by the Supporters Body.

Gwent Club Events Cap off a Good Weekend for Dragons Rugby

Following the excellent start made by the region in their 38-28 victory over the Blues on Friday, the DOSC have been involved in a number of community events at clubs around the region which show the strength of mini and junior rugby, not to mention the strength of local communities across Gwent.

Sophie's 7's

On Saturday afternoon, the DOSC had the pleasure of attending the Sophie's 7's tournament at New Tredegar RFC. 

The sevens tournament is held each year to raise money for the Sophie Pearson Community Fund, which gives thousands each year to the Children’s Heart Unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The event has raised over £100,000 over the last 10 years and this year's event raised an incredible £4,600 on the day.

Sophie, a former White Rose Primary School and Rhymney Comprehensive pupil, died aged 12 in November 2006 after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, an inflammation of the heart muscles.

DOSC had the pleasure of meeting Sophie's parents Alyson Hughes and Gerwyn Pearson, two truly inspiring people who organise the event each year. We thank them both for taking the time to chat to us on what was a busy day. 

The event was well attended with 8 teams involved, including Dragons regional clubs: New Tredegar RFC, Senghenydd RFC, Bargoed RFC, Aberbargoed RFC and Abertysswg RFC. The glorious sunshine, ample refreshments, kids activities, and skillful rugby on display, all contributed to the carnival atmosphere at the ground.

While not the primary focus of the day, the rugby was competitive with some close scores throughout, and Senghenydd RFC coming out on top, winning 19-17 in the final against Aberbargoed RFC. Congratulations to the Saints. The two links below are to some "highlights" of a couple of the earlier games (you will need Twitter to access them). Gerwyn and Alyson would like to thank all those who participated, praising them as a credit to themselves and to the region. 

https://twitter.com/DragonsOffic_SC/status/764429748965695488 

https://twitter.com/DragonsOffic_SC/status/764424584187801600

Dragons on Tour

On Sunday, the DOSC supported the region on their tour of clubs around Gwent. Players and staff for the region visited Ebbw Vale RFC, Hafodyrynys RFC, Caerphilly RFC and Penalta RFC to support the clubs' fun days aimed at players across a variety of age groups.

At Ebbw Vale RFC, over 150 players from RTB Ebbw Vale and Jesters Rugby attended the fun day and took part in a session coached by Dragons players Harrison Keddie, Lloyd Fairbrother, Rhys Jones, Dorian Jones, Carl Meyer and Ashley Sweet. There was also a "Brian Moore's mouth" competition and the opportunity for photos and autographs, not to mention an opportunity to see the Welsh Premiership trophy won by Ebbw Vale last season. A fantastic day was had by all, in particular the son of a DOSC committee member who was so impressed that he now classes Ebbw Vale as his "second team", a distance second after the Dragons of course.

At Caerphilly RFC, an U7s tag rugby tournament was arranged with clubs competing from Caerphilly RFC, Bargoed RFC, Cefn Coed RFC and Porth RFC. A DOSC committee member helped referee a number of the games and was impressed by the excellent skill levels on show and the desire of the coaches to focus on developing their players' skills rather than just trying to win the game. The conclusion of the tournament coincided with the arrival of Dragons players Elliot Dee, Ollie Griffiths, Jack Dixon, Thomas Davies and Matthew Screech who handed out medals, signed autographs and posed for photos. They also took a coaching session which all of the kids could participate in.

Following this, the Dragons contingent made their way to Hafordyrynys RFC where they held a Q&A for players, signed autographs and posed for photos along with Rodney the Dragon. The players were also appreciative of the food laid on by the members of Hafodyrynys RFC - hot dogs and burgers all around (we won't tell the conditioning coaches boys it's OK).  

The final stop on the Dragons' tour was Penalta RFC where a Q&A was arranged between Penalta supporters and Dragons CEO, Stuart Davies. New Forward's Coach Ceri Jones, and players Rynard Landman, Brok Harris, Pat Howard and Nick MacLeod were also in attendance and answered questions from a tough panel of young Pitmen, as well as posing for photos and signing autographs. The DOSC look forward to having a beverage or two in the Penalta clubhouse ahead of our friendly against Ealing at Ystrad Mynach next week. Feel free to meet us in there for a chinwag about all things Dragons rugby.

Dragons players and DOSC members received a warm welcome at each venue which we are extremely grateful for. We look forward to working with those clubs, and other clubs around the region more closely over the coming season on a variety of community events. We wish all of the clubs the very best for their season ahead. If you are a member of a club within the region and would like some support with your event, please do not hesitate to email us at contact.us@dragonssupportersclub.com

Highlight of the day - seeing the excitement among the young players at being able to see their Dragons heroes and watch them leave with a smile on their face and a Dragons flag in their hand.  

#SUFTMOG