The Dragons head to Italy without a win in their last four fixtures, with a draw against Zebre in Parma and a bonus-point in defeat at home to Edinburgh all they have to show for their efforts since a heroic comeback victory over Glasgow in late February.
Jones has seen his side score just 60 points and concede 110 in that time, even though three of the games were against sides who had started the match lower than the Dragons in the RaboDirect PRO12 standings.
The most-recent fixture against Edinburgh was an undoubted improvement on the previous home game against Connacht, however, and Jones now wants his side take the next step at the Stadio di Monigo as they aim to stay above the 10th-placed Cardiff Blues in the final table.
“We need to put our skill levels right against Treviso. A lot of areas in our game were good against Edinburgh but we were just a little bit light when we were attacking the gain line, which has led to us playing around teams than trying to play through them,” said Jones.
“We need to get the balance right. Some of our kicking game was very effective and some of it was disastrous and cost us dearly. Edinburgh’s kicking game was far superior, their chase was good and they were able to recycle the ball from that whilst it was a weaker area for us.
“It’s going to be as difficult as we want to make it. We’re on par with Treviso as far as ability is concerned. They’re a much improved side from by-gone years but we’re creating, our attitude to play is improving but how we go about our business hasn’t been good enough and we’re looking for inspiration from individuals to show some X factor.
“It is concerning to see the lack of points that we are scoring. But that’s where we are at the moment and we have to deal with it and keep planning for next year.”
Finishing the season on a high against Treviso home and away, the Ospreys at the Millennium Stadium and the Scarlets in Llanelli would be a massive boost for the Dragons but Jones insists he is already confident that his side will kick on next year regardless.
The former Ospreys coach admits that results haven’t gone quite to plan since the turn of the year and that attitudes still need to change at Rodney Parade but he insists there is plenty to be positive about as he nears the end of his first season in charge.
“We’ve got to keep on improving and getting ready for next season,” added Jones. “It’s about educating this crowd about what’s required to become a force in the Celtic League.
“We’ve accepted mediocrity as the standard and that cannot be accepted. We need to improve how we train and how we behave and that should reflect on the pitch. Mediocrity is accepted here but it is not with me. We’ve got a long, long way to go.
“I’m excited about the future. This season was always going to be difficult for me, I’ve spent the year restructuring and reorganising with the resources that are here. I’m far more optimistic now than I have ever been about next season.”
