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browner
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Give us more rugby.

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HEINEKEN Cup, EDF Energy Cup, Magners League – you would think that was more than enough rugby for any club.

But Dragons coach Paul Turner is calling on WRU chiefs to make room for ANOTHER competition in the game’s calendar.

Turner takes his side to Glasgow today (3pm) for their final Heineken Cup pool fixture.

The match signals the start of a three-week break for the Dragons, time Turner believes could be well spent in competitive play.

“I keep banging on about it, but I’m not going to relent,” he said. “We need another level between the Magners League and the Principality Premiership.

“And it’s got to be four, six or eight games against quality opposition.

“We’re no different to any other side – we have players who need rest, but we also have players who need rugby.

“We need to find out if a lot of our squad and the better players in the Premiership are really up for it. But we’re not having that chance at the moment.”

Turner insists the Dragons are not alone in thinking along these lines.

“The Irish provinces are keen,” said the 48-year-old, who this week signed a two-year contract extension.

“Obviously there’s a lot of travelling involved. But you phone Leinster or Ulster, and they’ll play any time, anywhere – they’ll fly in and out on a Monday afternoon if that’s what it needs.


“And the Blues and the Ospreys, in particular, have been keen to make this happen.

“We want to give opportunities not just to our own players who need rugby, but also to up-and-coming players in the Premiership.

“Players in the Premiership who are deemed good enough need to be exposed to your Kingsholms on a Monday night, and your Baths and Bristols.

“It’s crucial to regional development and gives players game-time and exposure.”

Turner, and Dragons rugby manager Robert Beale, have been struggling to squeeze in development matches before the region take on Ulster on February 22, but are frustrated at the whole process.

“We’ve been busting a gut to try and make a couple of development games happen,” said Turner. “You can’t just say, ‘We’re going to play a fixture on a certain date’ because you have to fit it among all the competitions.

“It’s got to fit in with the Premiership, in addition to the national age grades – and it’s bang in the middle of the Under-20s Six Nations campaign.

“We have to be aware on several fronts before we go ahead with these fixtures, and we’ve been to the WRU regulatory committee for permission to play.

“We managed to arrange games against London Welsh at Rodney Parade on February 2 and the Ospreys on February 16 at Llandarcy, but it’s not been easy.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynatio ... -22770561/
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