Dragons coach Dai Flanagan says he hopes people won't question his morals after comments that his side overstepped the mark in their defeat to the Ospreys on the weekend.
The Rodney Parade outfit fell to a 37-18 defeat to Toby Booth's side in Swansea, with Sio Tomkinson receiving a red card for a high tackle on Ospreys' fly-half Jack Walsh.
Earlier in the game, Ross Moriarty picked up a yellow for a late hit on Walsh - while Lloyd Fairbrother gave away a penalty for a late shot on the outside-half.
That led Flanagan to admit his side had "definitely overstepped the line" as they tried to "target certain individuals in their team".
The comments, as well as the incidents on the field, caused something of a stir on social media, with former players like Stuart Barnes and Danny Cipriani weighing in with their opinion.
Cipriani tweeted: "Actually makes the job easier. Another old school out-dated tactic. The limitations the coach must have to encourage this is what should be looked at. Jack Walsh must be good!!"
And Barnes posted: "One has to question the management as much as the players."
However, Flanagan insists that his comments were lost in translation, saying that he wouldn't stand for players crossing such lines.
"I won't give too much away for what I said in house," said the Dragons coach. "Everyone who works for me knows that there are lines you can't cross.
"We crossed those lines in aspects of that and I don't stand for that. I'm very clear on that and the boys are well aware of it.
"I think so. I am a little bit disappointed because people who know me will know that is never my intention.
"When I spoke about how do we target the Ospreys 10, we didn't know who was playing until the day before and we'd done all our prep by then. What the Ospreys did on the weekend was very smart.
"What they've done previously is they tend to move their 10 in the defensive line. Sometimes he's out in the five-metre channels, sometimes he's defending at full-back in the backfield and sometimes he's defending at 13.
"So it's important we ID'd him as most 10s can't defend outside the position they grew up. So when they move them, you try to target them that way. Again, it got lost in translation, but you want to put him in a spot where he's uncomfortable and put him off his game.
"That could get him defending two people in a channel that he's not used to. What they did really well was they kept him in one place so it's hard to get at him from phase play.
Insisting that no coach would send out a team to specifically target a player to cause injury, Flanagan added: "I think people can question my coaching knowledge, experience or the detail I give players. I just hope people never question my morals."
The question was also raised over whether off-field distractions had perhaps contributed to the recklessness of the tackles.
Uncertainty has reigned over Welsh rugby, with contract disputes raging on for a while and players unsure of where they'll be playing their rugby next season. One of the players carded, Moriarty, has been the subject of speculation over a possible move to France, although it now appears likely he'll stay in Gwent.
"That's a great question," said Flanagan. "I probably look too much at the decision in the moment, but there has been a lot going on for these players. I hadn't even thought about that.
"Specifically, for certain players, there's a lot been going on on and off the field and it's probably been tough for them. We're professionals though and we want to represent ourselves as best as we can."
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