Shane: Time is fast running out for Jackman

BERNARD Jackman is living on borrowed time. If the Dragons don’t pick up their results over Christmas – and they have a difficult run of fixtures – I think they’ll soon be looking for a new head coach at Rodney Parade.

That could even be before the New Year.

I don’t think I’m over-egging the pudding with that argument because I haven’t seen any signs of improvement in the Dragons since the start of the season.

If anything, they’ve got worse and I know that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

I commentated on their game with Leinster and it simply wasn’t good enough. To ship nearly 60 points at home can’t be accepted and the sad thing is that whenever I’ve watched the Dragons, it’s the same old story. For that, the coaches and Bernard, below, are responsible.

In my playing career, Rodney Parade was never an easy place to go. You expected to be under pressure from a passionate home crowd who know their rugby and a team that would take it to you all over the field. That’s why the region’s current situation makes me feel for the Dragons supporters. They are loyal people and they deserve better.

At the start of this season I was positive about the Dragons. I thought they had made some good signings and they also benefitted Welsh rugby as a whole by bringing the likes of Ross Moriarty, Rhodri Williams and Richard Hibbard back from over the Severn Bridge.

Results still haven’t improved. Leinster was the nadir.

Losing to the defending PRO14 and Champions Cup champions is no disgrace, but it was the manner in which the Dragons sat back and allowed their opponents to dominate which worried me the most. You’ve got to remember, too, that this was a second or thirdchoice Leinster side.

If you look at the Dragons in detail – and I’ve seen a lot of them – they have their moments, but they don’t have the cohesion or defensive organisation to be a success over a long period of time.

Against Leinster, they were out-marshalled, out-manoeuvred and, worst of all, it didn’t seem like they wanted to be there as the Irish raiders ran in try after try.

The Dragons decision to sack defence coach Hendre Marnitz spoke volumes for me. Their structures are all over the place. Just look at the first try Leinster scored against them. A few soft carries up the middle put the Dragons in reverse, but they were dragged in way too easily and a simple cross-kick allowed Dave Kearney to score out wide. Scott Fardy added Leinster’s third try from another easy long pass with no Dragons defender in sight. These are alarm bells for me. They are the traits bad sides show.

I’m sure the Dragons would argue differently, but to me it seems pretty clear there is very little communication and players don’t know their roles. There is confusion everywhere!

For that, Bernard has to take responsibility. The fact he hasn’t been able to watch his team in recent weeks after serving a stadium ban imposed by the Welsh Rugby Union sums it all up. It’s a mess.

So, how do the Dragons respond? I hope they can, but it looks a tough ask.

They travel to Clermont Auvergne in the Challenge Cup this Saturday and unfortunately, you can only see one result there. Then there are the Christmas derbies with Jackman’s men facing Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Scarlets.

Of those three games, only one – the Ospreys – is at home. It points to their depressing run extending and that could mean curtains for Jackman.

If they fail to win before the start of January, I’d be very worried if I was him. What I would say though is it’s not all the former Ireland hooker’s fault.

Maybe the players aren’t good enough, but against Leinster it also didn’t look like they wanted to be there.

You can talk structures, systems and patterns all you like, but the bottom line is rugby is a simple game. If the other team wants it more than you and wrestles control of the physical battle, it makes all the more complicated aspects of the game irrelevant.

That’s what happened against Leinster which is the most disappointing thing in my view.

Jackman and his squad need to get their act together quickly or the result is predictable and we could yet see a new man in charge before 2018 is out.

“Players don’t know their roles. There is confusion everywhere!”