Head coach Dean Ryan says the Dragons are struggling to deal with the power of South African sides in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

While the Welsh outfit did well to keep fighting and score three tries against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, it was more or less one-way traffic at Loftus Versveld as the hosts strode to a 55-20 win, scoring eight tries in the process.

Next up for the Dragons – currently sitting second from bottom in the URC standings – are the Sharks at Kings Park on Friday, the Durbanites boasting a squad jam-packed with Springboks and led by World Cup-winning Bok skipper Siya Kolisi.

“It’s a difficult competition for us, with the resources we have, to be able to answer that kind of power,” Ryan told his club’s official website. “It is well voiced about some of our frustrations and how do we get closer to some of the resources that are available to places like the Bulls.

“We’re in a tournament with fully loaded Bulls, fully loaded Sharks … We are fully aware of the power that is coming from the South African sides in the URC. All we can do is prepare to be as good as we can be, be as smart as we can be, and try and execute and learn.”