The former Ospreys and London Welsh head coach has been part of sweeping changes at Rodney Parade, with Kingsley Jones installed as the new forwards coach and Gareth Davies chief executive.
Jones has had an immediate impact at the Dragons with impressive RaboDirect Pro12 victories over Ulster and the Scarlets.
And he has heaped the praise on his players’ attitude and willingness to learn and adapt ahead of this Saturday’s clash with Munster in Cork.
“What I am really pleased with is how consistent we’ve been and how quickly we have learned the lessons,” said Jones.
“It took a lot more time with London Welsh to take on board what we were trying to teach.
“The players here have adapted very quickly. That’s why I say there’s a good side here because of the speed they learn and put things into place.
“It’s for players to reflect and learn from what is happening to them. I can point them to the light, but they have to go there themselves.
“You have to give players a framework and a structure on the field and then from that they make their own decisions.
“Confidence is a wonderful thing. It spreads through the squad like wildfire, I am just trying to create that.
“We are very happy with the progress we are making. We feel we are making strides to achieve what we want as a side.”
But Jones is under no illusions and is well aware that there is still a long way to go at Rodney Parade.
And he is determined to instil a winning mentality in his charges at the region that have struggled in recent seasons.
“We are not the finished product. We know that,” added Jones.
“You don’t want to run before you can walk. We are getting the fundamentals and building blocks in place to build something long term, rather than a flash in the plan.
“It’s not a case of beating Ulster and the Scarlets and thinking that’s it, we’ve arrived. We haven’t.
“We are not there yet, but we need to educate people to expect to be a champion and don’t accept defeat.”
