Hooker Richard Hibbard believes Dragons have a huge capacity to grow and get better after they claimed the scalp of French giants Castres in the European Challenge Cup.
Captain Hibbard led from the front with an all-action display as Dragons wrapped up a 31-17 win in the Pool 1 opener at Rodney Parade.
Dean Ryan, Director of Dragons Rugby, insisted after the game that his team could still make big strides in the competition.
And his words were echoed by Hibbard who admitted the team had ‘left a lot out there’ despite a bonus point win.
“They are a big team, a massive team, so there was huge effort in the first half and we got a good score line,” he said. “Taine (Basham) got a hat-trick so fair play to him – he was everywhere.
“We knew they would be a typical French team with massive boys looking to get over the game line. It was about matching them and knocking them back.
“It wasn’t a perfect performance, I felt we left a lot out there, but it’s good that we got a win and we are still learning.
“They were definitely up for it in the second half, perhaps we half felt the game was done and that is something to learn.
“We need to stick to our foundations, what we believe in and what our game is about, and do it for 80 minutes.
“We’ve got huge capacity to grow and get better,” he added. “We look at our performance last week at Edinburgh and this week, we are not happy with a win so it goes to show that this group is learning.”
Next up for Dragons is a clash with Enisei-STM on Friday (kick-off 3pm UK time) ansd Hibbard backed Dragons to produce against the Russian side.
“It is all about opportunities. There are going to be new combinations and boys need to take those opportunities,” he said.
“But we are not going over there to show what we can do individually; it is about performing as a team.
“We feel like we have just been run over by a car (by Castres) and now we have to go travel to Russia. But the boys are looking forward to it,” he smiled.
Dragons are next at home when they tackle Zebre in the Guinness PRO14 at Rodney Parade on Saturday, November 30. Can Dean Ryan's men make it a hat-trick of wins on home soil?
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We need to stick to our foundations, what we believe in and what our game is about, and do it for 80 minutes...
