RaboDirect Pro12: Dragons Rugby I XV 22 – 9 Ulster Rugby I XV: Post Match Reaction from Brian McLaughlin

“We came to play the Dragons tonight with a young side and what they’ve learned this evening is that they need to be accurate and not gift the opposition field position. We’re missing 14 key players through World Cup or injury but this evening has been a very valuable experience for our younger players.”

“The main issue tonight was that we couldn’t put any sustained pressure on them and they got into good positions.”

“There were some positives tonight, I was pleased with our lineout, I think there were just two crooked throws all night, and the scrum was rock solid in the first half and despite the changes in the second half remained so.”

“The four day turnaround was very possibly a factor but it’s not an excuse.

It works both ways. While there’s no doubt that we did look a little lethargic at times tonight, we had the opportunity to bounce back quickly from a defeat and it takes nothing away from the fact that the Dragons were the better side tonight and deserved their victory.”