Newport Gwent Dragons having appraised and reviewed their performance last Saturday have taken a long, hard look at themselves. The team have resolved to roar back with an impressive performance against whichever Italian team they will face on June 2nd to ensure Heineken Cup rugby at Rodney Parade next season.
The Dragons performances throughout the season although in general have been tight and closely fought have meant that they find themselves in this situation and all those associated with The Dragons have therefore resolved to get themselves out of it. Part of this resolution has been to come up with an innovative and imaginative pricing structure for the game to help reward the fans who have supported the team through the highs and lows of this season.
Ticket prices will start from £5 and will increase each day until match day. This thereby allows fans to get on board at an early stage for The Dragons Italian job! Dragons season ticket holders will be able to enjoy discounted prices on the ticket prices.
“There is no doubt that we are bitterly disappointed that we have not qualified automatically for next seasons Heineken Cup,” commented Head Coach Paul Turner. “The whole team is disappointed but we do have the opportunity to qualify for the competition via the play off against an Italian side. What we need now, more than ever is for supporters to continue to give the team their support. We need to continue to make Rodney Parade an intimidating fortress for the opposition to come to. We have a distinct advantage that supporters are close to the pitch and as a consequence can be heard by the players and that will unsettle the Italians who won’t be used to that. With the supporters backing and vociferous support they can roar us into Europe.”
Hal Luscombe along with Jon Bryant and Rhys Oakley may be departing at the end of the season but have given their full backing to The Dragons quest for European qualification and have declared their availability for the play off game on June 2nd.
Luscombe commented, “I have spent seven extremely enjoyable seasons at Rodney Parade and have many fond memories of my time. I want to end on a high and ensure The Dragons qualify for the Heineken Cup next season. The supporters have been fantastic and I would encourage them to take advantage of the ticketing scheme The Dragons are operating. I have always enjoyed playing in front of a packed Rodney Parade and the passionate supporters. The team needs everyone’s support for the play off match.”
Tickets for the Heineken Cup play off will go on sale on Monday 22nd May where they will be priced from £5 (from £2 for season ticket holders) and will go up a £1 a day in the build-up to the game.
Speaking on the inventive pricing structure Commercial Director at The Dragons Gethin Jenkins said, “We have come up with this scheme to reward our supporters who have stuck with us through the highs like the victories over Munster and Leicester and the lows of the season. The financials of the game mean it has to be all pay but by structuring the prices in this way supporters can support the team without being hit in the pocket! We need everyone’s support and backing of the team to ensure Heineken Cup rugby remains at Rodney Parade next season. We need to recapture the intimidating environment and atmosphere of old, our ground has taken some criticism recently but it still has a fantastic playing surface and with the crowd so near to the action then it makes Rodney Parade a very intimidating place for opposition teams. As Paul said after the defeat to Edinburgh we are taking ownership of the performance, have taken it very personally and are looking for a vast improvement. The opportunity for Heineken Cup rugby next season is down to us and with our supporters backing there is no reason why that objective cannot be achieved.”
