Head Coach Filo Tiatia has told his Dragons to ignore the French league standings and prepare to face a 'proud' USA Perpignan side when the teams meet in Europe this weekend.
The Men of Gwent head to the south of France and Stade Aime Giral to open the EPCR Challenge Cup season on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 1pm UK).
And Tiatia insists Dragons will not look at the Top 14 as a guide to form against a Perpignan side now led by coach Laurent Libat.
“Perpignan are a good side,” stated Tiatia. “They are in a similar place to us in the ladder and they have a proud history in European rugby.
“I’ve dealt with Perpignan a few times from when I played for Ospreys. When they play at home, they are a very proud team - it will be a good challenge for us.
“There is some rich DNA in terms of where Perpignan are from and we know how they are going to play. It’s a special place to play. I’m looking forward to getting down there and getting amongst it.”
Tiatia wants his side to build on the performance against Leinster last week as they bid to record a first win of the season after several close calls.
“We’ve been close (to a win) and against Leinster we stayed in the fight,” he said.
“We were under pressure in certain parts, but the boys defended well, and we got ourselves in a good position to come close to drawing the game.
“We’ve improved in certain areas we wanted to work on, particularly around controlling our emotions. But there is still some growth.
“We want to win and we need to put more passages of good together and work with the referee in the middle.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the European game, Tiatia has given an update on his returning Wales internationals and those that were forced off against Leinster.
“Coles (Chris Coleman) came off with a hamstring injury (for Wales) and he’s been scanned,” said Tiatia.
“It looks pretty positive; we are just waiting on more consultation to see where he is at. We’re waiting on a projection for how long he is out.
“Waino (Aaron Wainwright) is well-documented as having got a finger in the eye and he won’t be available this weekend. We’ve given him time off after three Test matches.
“Seb (Davies) has a nasty ankle injury, and he came off early (against Leinster). He’s been x-rayed and hopefully won’t be too long.
“Woody (Woodman) will be fine. He had a dead leg, we have managed him this week. We’ll see how he goes.
“The same with Oli (Burrows) who has a rib injury, so we’ll see how he pulls up for selection.”
I’ve dealt with Perpignan a few times from when I played for Ospreys. When they play at home, they are a very proud team - it will be a good challenge for us...
