As he puts the finishing touches to his team’s preparations for Sunday’s double header at the Millennium Stadium where the Dragons tackle the Ospreys in Judgement Day II, Jones is negotiating unchartered waters as he is dipping his toe into his first double header as he was with London Welsh last season when the inaugural event was staged in Cardiff.
“Judgement Day is a new experience for me but it seemed to be an exciting event last year and helps to raise the profile of the game,” he said.
“To play at the Millennium Stadium is a great opportunity for the boys and has been an added incentive for the squad in recent weeks.
“It’s a big stage and we need to make sure we produce a performance that is worthy of the occasion.”
The Dragons have gone on the slide since the turn of the year but it has been a pretty successful first season in the Rodney Parade hotseat for Jones. They have already surpassed their 2012-12 points tally in the RaboDirect Pro12 and should improve on their 11th-place finish. They’ve done the double over title hopefuls Glasgow, turned over Ulster and enjoyed home derby success against the Scarlets and the Blues.
The Dragons have enjoyed a fine record against the Ospreys at Rodney Parade, winning 10 of the 12 games. They will hope that the Millennium Stadium proves to be just as happy a hunting ground.
The full version of this article appears in the official matchday programme – available for sale from Sunday.
