The
Newport Gwent Dragons ( ) are one of the four
professional
Rugby Union teams in Wales.
They are
jointly owned by Newport RFC and the
WRU and play all their home games
at Rodney
Parade
, Newport
. They
play in the
Magners
League, as well as competing in the
EDF Energy Cup and the
Heineken Cup in the 2008-09 season .
The region
they represent covers an area of southeast Wales including Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly, with a total
population approaching 500,000, and are affiliated with a number of
semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including
Welsh Premier Division sides
Bedwas RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Ebbw
Vale RFC, Newport RFC and Pontypool RFC.
Formed in 2003 as a result of the regionalisation of Welsh rugby,
the team started life with a third-placed finish in the 2003-2004
Celtic League, narrowly failing to repeat their initial exploits
the season after, ending it in fourth. The team has however
struggled to match those early heights, finishing in the bottom
three in the 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons.
In 2007 they reached the semi finals of the
European Challenge Cup, losing to
French side
ASM
Clermont Auvergne 46-29 . They are yet to have made the
knockout stages of either the
Heineken
or
EDF Energy cup tournaments.
History
Formation
They were formed on the 1st April 2003, following an agreement
between
Ebbw Vale RFC and
Newport RFC, to form one of five regional rugby
entities . Fundamental disagreements between the clubs, saw a
period of arbitration, lead by the then
Welsh Rugby Union chief executive
David Moffett, which recommended the name
"Gwent Dragons". On the 28th of July the side was launched
under that name. This prompted
Newport
RFC benefactor Tony Brown to withdraw his financial support for
the region. However by the 21st of August Brown returned following
Ebbw Vale chairman Marcus Russell's resignation and the side's name
becoming
"Newport and Gwent Dragons". With the Welsh Rugby
Union demanding an explanation for the changes, and acrimony
between the two clubs another agreement was struck, , resulting in
the side officially becoming
"Newport Gwent Dragons". On
the 12th November 2003 the region's founding company
"Gwent
Rugby Ltd" entered intoadministration. On the
27 November 2003
"Dragons Rugby Ltd." a new company was established to run
the region, with both Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union holding
a fifty percent stake.
2003-2005: Infancy
Under
Mike Ruddock and his assistant
Clive Griffiths
Newport Gwent Dragons with a squad largely drawn from the
Newport RFC and
Ebbw
Vale RFC sides of the preceding year, confounded their limited
pre-season expectations. Despite starting their life in top-class
rugby with a 35-11 defeat away to
Llanelli Scarlets it was to prove to be
the region's most successful season so far. A 29-19 win over the
Ospreys was to prove more
telling, captained by
Andy Marinos the
side remained unbeaten at home in the Celtic League and claimed the
scalp of
Stade Francais in the
Heineken Cup. Going into the final
round with an outside chance of taking the title, the Dragons ended
up finishing third in the Celtic League
WRU bosses were sufficiently impressed as
to appoint Ruddock to the vacant
Welsh coaching job in the
summer of 2004. Ruddock rewarded two of his former Dragons players,
Hal Luscombe and
Jason Forster with their first test caps on
Wales's summer tour of
Argentina rugby.
Percy Montgomery also impressed
Springbok selector enough to remind them of his international
credentials, and earn a
Tri
Nations recall.
The
following off season saw a marked change in direction at Rodney Parade. Gareth Cooper,
Kevin Morgan and
Ceri Sweeney were amongst a handful of players
who joined the region in the wake of the
Celtic Warriors being disbanded. Having
originally agreed to replace Mike Ruddock as head coach,
Declan Kidney decided instead to seek
employment back home with
Leinster. It
was not until the 27 July 2004 that former
Australian rugby league coach
Chris Anderson was
appointed, with Leigh Jones as his assistant. Another credible
Celtic League campaign followed,
finishing in fourth spot , the second highest Welsh region. The
side's Heineken Cup could be viewed as a wasted opportunity, having
beaten French
Perpignan at home 27-14,
defeat home and away to
Newcastle
Falcons put pay to any quarter final ambitions. Chris
Anderson's contract was not extended beyond its initial one-year
duration.
2005: Paul Turner era
The region looked to
Harlequins backs
coach
Paul Turner, a
Welshman, as their new head coach.. Turner would also have to
contend with
Percy Montgomery
returning to South Africa and Newport stalwart
Rod Snow retiring.
Munster and
Sale
Sharks proved too strong in the
Heineken cup After finishing 8th in the
Magners League, a 24-15 defeat
Overmach Parma in a play-off for the
following seasons Heineken cup proved a new low for the region.
EDF Energy Cup wins over
Leicester Tigers and
Northampton Saints were the highlights of
a tough season. Turner remained, even if Wales international
Hal Luscombe did not.
Former Wales captain
Colin Charvis
joined in August 2006 and the Dragons went onto a
European Challenge Cup semi-final,
losing comfortably to
ASM
Clermont Auvergne. Domestically though, the region's European
exploits appeared to take their toll, slumping to a ninth-placed
finish in the
Magners League .
Significantly the region avoided the prospect of a second season
away from the Heineken Cup, defeating another Italian side
Calvisano 22-15. The match also marked the
end for departing Wales internationals
Ian
Gough and
Gareth Cooper at Rodney
Parade.
"I'm obviously pleased to be staying, it's the place where I grew
up.
I've done what I can in my first three years.
Now we want to try to build a side so the region is strong going
into the new stadium."
— Paul Turner on agreeing a
two-year contract extension in January 2008.
2007-2008 proved to be another challenging season for the region.
Signings
Andy Williams
and
Richard Parks were not able to
help reverse the side's fortunes, with a
Heineken Cup campaign that only saw one win
against Italian side
Treviso
and exiting the EDF Enercy Cup in the pool stages for a third year
running. Between completing a double over
Llanelli Scarlets on January 1 to
defeating the Ospreys on May 6 , the region went without a Magners
League win. Despite finishing as the lowest-placed Welsh side in
the league the region qualified for next season's Heineken Cup,
without having to play off against Italian opposition.
Summer 2008 has the potential to be the busiest yet for arrivals
and departures for Newport Gwent Dragons, with Welsh Internationals
Ceri Sweeney and
Michael Owen along with several
other squad members having already been confirmed to leave Rodney
Parade. In their place a host of New Zealanders including former
All Blacks hooker
Tom Willis, and Welsh players
including
Ospreys pair
Shaun Connor and
Tal
Selley, along with former Australia A centre
Marc Stcherbina, signed on a one year loan
from
Cardiff Blues.
Controversy
The naming of the region has caused considerable turbulence. The
Newport Gwent Dragons are a new side created out of the
restructuring of Welsh rugby and are meant to represent their
designated region as is the case with the
Cardiff Blues, the
Scarlets and the
Ospreys. Some in the Welsh rugby world,
such as Welsh rugby legend
Bobby
Windsor, believed that including the name Newport would
alienate some fans in the surrounding valley. While much of the
support in the larger Newport area support greater identification
with the City of Newport and a continuation of the historic
traditions of Newport RFC. Several names were suggested but all
were rejected by the WRU. In the end, the WRU decided the region's
name for them, the "Gwent Dragons". The company set up to run the
side entered administration before playing a game and as a result
the word "Newport" was added to the team name. This was in response
to the very poor reaction to a 'Gwent Dragons' side in the region.
This addition and choice of kit has added a greater Newport
emphasis and has enabled the side to move towards greater equity to
the position of Cardiff and Llanelli.
The Newport Action Group, among others, claim the side has lost
more supporters by including the name "Gwent" in its title.
The crowds
supporting the Newport Gwent Dragons averaged 5,154 for the
2005/2006 season, whereas in the 2002/2003 season, Newport was
Wales' best supported club and British rugby's fourth best with an
average attendance of 8,302 - after English Premiership outfits,
Leicester, Gloucester and Northampton.[79197]
</<>ref> Although controversy surrounding the naming of
the region might be petty, rugby in South Wales
is deeply divided among hundreds of historic rugby
clubs with bitter rivalries. In the 2006-2007 season, attendance
averaged 5,629 at Rodney
Parade.
The general marketing by the club has been criticised by fans
during the 08/09 season. With Heineken cup quarter finalists the
Blues and Ospreys in such close proximity, fans voiced concerns in
local media that the Dragons management failed to market the club
effectively.
Home Ground
The
regions ground is the 11,700 capacity Rodney Parade ground in Newport, with an agreement between owners
Newport RFC and the region in place, for
all regular season games to be played there . Plans for a
multi-million pound 15,000-capacity stadium with 13,000 seats were
submitted on the 25th April 2008.
Along with Rodney Parade, the region has
also played pre-season games at Pontypool Park
and Pandy Park, Cross
Keys RFC. Although this has not occurred since playing a
Gwent Premiership XV prior to the 2006-2007 season.
On the 1st
May 2008 it was announced Guinness
Premiership club Bristol would
ground share at Rodney Parade until the completion of the
re-development of their Memorial Stadium
ground in Bristol in 2010 . However on the
3rd June 2008 it was announced that the English club would be
forced to delay their move for at least a further season .
Players and coaches of note
Current squad
Newport Gwent Dragons squad for the 2009-2010 season.
* Joe Bearman is eligible for Welsh selection on residency
grounds.
Notable players
- See also: .
Two Newport Gwent Dragons players,
Michael Owen and
Gareth Cooper were selected for the
2005 British
and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Michael Owen also
captained the
Wales
national rugby union team for the 2005-06 Season.
Adam Black,
Jamie Ringer and
Peter
Sidoli have all made over a hundred Newport Gwent Dragons
appearances. Prop Adam Black was the first centurion in Dragons
colours, achieving the feat along with flanker Jamie Ringer during
the 2006-2007 season. The following season lock Peter Sidoli would
also go on to break through the three figure mark.
Several former players have been capped by the
Wales national rugby union
team while with the region; props
Chris Anthony and
Rhys Thomas, second row
Ian Gough, flankers
Jason
Forster,
Richard Parks and
Jamie Ringer, number eight
Michael Owen and
Rhys Oakley, scrum halves
Gareth Cooper and
Andy Williams, outside half
Ceri Sweeney centre
Andy Marinos brothers
Aled and
Nathan Brew at
wing, wingers
Gareth Wyatt and
Hal Luscombe and full back
Kevin Morgan. South African full back
Percy Montgomery, Tongan utility back
Sione Tu'ipulotu and Canadian prop
Rod Snow played internationally for their
respective nations, while with the region.
Of the current players
Steve Jones,
Luke Charteris and
Dan
Lydiate have featured in Wales test matches whilst with the
region and
James Arlidge has
represented Japan.
Aled Brew,
Matthew Watkins,
Adam M. Jones,
Robert Sidoli and
Gavin Thomas have also attained Wales
international caps but not whilst with Newport Gwent Dragons.
Tom Willis and
Danny
Lee attained caps for New Zealand before joining the
Region.
Coaching staff
Newport Gwent Dragons were initially coached by
Mike Ruddock who joined from Ebbw Vale RFC.
Ruddock left to become Wales national team coach after just one
season in charge. Irishman
Declan
Kidney was intended as Ruddock's replacement for the 2003-2004
season, but after just three weeks his contract was mutually
terminated, deciding to return home to coach another Irish province
Leinster instead. Former Australia rugby league coach
Chris Anderson took over as
head coach, and like Ruddock only stayed for a season.
Paul Turner has been Head Coach for three seasons since 2005.
Leigh Jones has been an assistant to all
three head coaches and is currently forwards coach, with
Dai Rees as backs coach .
Long term team manager Jim McCreedy stepped down from his role at
the end of the 2007-2008 season, being replaced by
Robert Beale who left his role as
Cross Keys director of rugby.
Lyn Jones was appointed attack coach in
November 2008.
Current player Colin Charvis was appointed contact and defence
skills coach for the 2008-2009 season.
In June 2009
Darren Edwards replaced
Lyn Jones as attack coach.
Results and statistics
Celtic League
| Celtic League results |
| Season |
Played |
Win |
Draw |
Loss |
BP |
Points |
Position |
| 2008-09 |
18 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
5 |
33 |
9th |
| 2007-08 |
18 |
7 |
1 |
10 |
4 |
34 |
8th |
| 2006-07 |
20 |
8 |
0 |
12 |
7 |
39 |
9th |
| 2005-06 |
22 |
7 |
0 |
13 |
9 |
45 |
8th |
| 2004-05 |
20 |
11 |
0 |
9 |
6 |
50 |
4th |
| 2003-04 |
22 |
16 |
0 |
6 |
8 |
72 |
3rd |
Europe
| Heineken Cup results |
| Year |
Played |
Win |
Draw |
Loss |
PF |
PA |
Diff |
Points |
Pool place |
Play-offs |
| 2003-04 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
67 |
146 |
-76 |
9 |
4th |
|
| 2004-05 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
124 |
99 |
+25 |
15 |
3rd |
|
| 2005-06 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
99 |
168 |
-69 |
6 |
3rd |
|
| 2007-08 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
117 |
191 |
-74 |
8 |
3rd |
|
| 2008-09 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
83 |
115 |
-32 |
7 |
4th |
|
| European Challenge Cup
results |
| Year |
Played |
Win |
Draw |
Loss |
PF |
PA |
Diff |
Points |
Pool place |
Play-offs |
| 2006-07 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
211 |
79 |
132 |
25 |
1st |
Lost SF to Clermont
Auvergne |
Anglo-Welsh Cup
See also
References
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | NG Dragons |
Dragons 22-15 Calvisano
- Newport Gwent Dragons: Newport Gwent Dragons: Area
Covered
- Newport Gwent Dragons: Club Directory
- European Rugby Cup : ASM Clermont Auvergne v
Dragons
- Welsh clubs finally agree over money -
Telegraph
- South Wales Argus - It's all out war!
- South Wales Argus - Support the Dragons!
- South Wales Argus - Brown'S Back - And It'S Now Newport
And Gwent Dragons
- South Wales Argus - It's off!
- South Wales Argus - Can we get on with the rugby
now?
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Dragons enter
administration
- South Wales Argus
- Magners League Official Website : Dragons Fire Snuffed
Out
- Magners League Official Website : Dragons Clip Ospreys
Wings
- European Rugby Cup : Stade Burned By Dragons
- Magners League Official Website : Stat Attack - League
table
- WRU: Wales Coach Archive: Mike Ruddock: 2004 -
2006
- South Wales Argus - Time for six sense - Jones
- South Wales Argus - IT'S TURNER
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Montgomery quits
Wales for Sharks
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Snow to retire at
end of season
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005-06_Heineken_Cup
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Dragons 15-24
Overmach Parma
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005-06_Powergen_Cup
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Luscombe leaves
Dragons for Quins
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006-07_Magners_League
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | NG Dragons |
Dragons 22-15 Calvisano
-
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/search/display.var.1991047.0.turner_sets_out_future_aspirations.php
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007-08_Heineken_Cup
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Welsh | Dragons 15-13
Scarlets
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | NG Dragons |
Dragons 18-10 Ospreys
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Tables | Magners League
table
- Sweeney completes switch to the Blues -
WalesOnline
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | NG Dragons |
Owen quits Dragons for Saracens
- Newport Gwent Dragons: Four Major Signings Breathe
Fire into the Dragons
- Newport Gwent Dragons: Dragons Delight as Connor
Returns to his Roots
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | NG Dragons |
Dragons add Selley as new recruit
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/ng_dragons/7501597.stm
- South Wales Argus - Brown: I want nothing to do with
`region'
- Windsor mourns fall of Pooler - Wales Online Jul 5
2006
- South Wales Argus - Brown's Back - And now it's Newport
and Gwent Dragons Thursday 21st August 2003
- South Wales Argus - Dragons hunt 'missing' fans
- Magners League Official Website : Fixtures and
Results Home Page
- South Wales Argus - Gwent Dragons ready to roar at Rodney
Parade
- Newport Gwent Dragons 7 - 31 Leeds Carnegie,
22/08/2003. Match Details
- Newport Gwent Dragons 14 - 24 Gwent Premiership XV,
13/08/2004. Match Details
- BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | My Club | Bristol |
Bristol confirm move to Newport
- BBC NEWS | England | Bristol | Delay over Rovers stadium
plans
-
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/search/4306992.Joe_s_big_Wales_tour_blow/
- Newport Gwent Dragons: Management
2008/2009
- Charvis ‘flattered’ to get a new role -
WalesOnline
- European Rugby Cup : ASM Clermont Auvergne v
Dragons
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