Head Coach Filo Tiatia insists the focus is only on Zebre for his Dragons as they look to show the lessons of the defeat to Vodacom Bulls.
The Men of Gwent jet to Italy today (Wednesday) as they prepare to face Zebre Parma in Round 16 of the BKT United Rugby Championship in Italy.
Dragons will be looking to bounce back from defeat on home soil to the Bulls and Tiatia is adamant that the looming European semi-final is not a distraction.
“The job at hand is Zebre,” he stressed. “There is an opportunity to put a performance together and climb up the ladder. Zebre are the same. They are playing for points.
“Only after this weekend do we have the semi-final and then Edinburgh at home at Rodney Parade and then Scarlets away just down the road. We want to finish strong.
“We are managing the players, who needs game time and who has earned the opportunity to put the jersey on,” he added.
“People use the word rotation, but we are clear on what we need and what the players need.
“Selection is always a challenging thing; it’s about people and getting the best out of them.
“You’re going to lose players through injury, so players need to be ready. It’s a contact sport so the next person needs to get ready to go.
“When people are not selected it becomes an emotional thing and they need clarity so they can move forward and do their job.
“This week is no different. We travel to Parma on Wednesday, get ready to go and do a job.”
Reflecting on the Bulls game, Tiatia added: “Players have reviewed the game and areas we need to improve on.
“It was one of the most physical games that the players have come across this season, so we were a little bit bruised and battered, physically and emotionally.
“There were a lot of lessons we’ve taken away, and we know how important it is we go to Parma and present ourselves and put a performance together.
“We played Friday night against the Bulls and had the weekend to reflect. Now we are looking forward to getting back on the horse.”
There were a lot of lessons we’ve taken away, and we know how important it is we go to Parma and present ourselves and put a performance together...
