CAPTAIN Lewis Evans admits that Zebre will be “licking their lips” in anticipation of Newport Gwent Dragons heading to Italy following the region’s humiliating record defeat.

The Dragons were thumped 60-3 by Glasgow in the RaboDirect Pro12 last Friday, shipping eight tries in their biggest ever loss.

It leaves them cut adrift one from bottom of the table with just winless Zebre beneath them.

If they were to become the Italian whipping boys’ first victim then the Dragons’ crisis would deepen.

And Evans believes the side from Parma will have been encouraged by the debacle against the Warriors.

“Zebre have pushed some good sides hard,” said the flanker. “If we had performed well against Glasgow we would have had some real momentum going into this game but that’s all gone now.

“They will probably be licking their lips to be honest.

“It’s not a pleasant place to go, the travel is a nightmare and it’s going to be a horrible day at the office if we turn up and play like we did against Glasgow.”

The Dragons headed into their game with the Scots on the back of three wins but Evans admits that the confidence earned by those victories has evaporated.

“What a difference seven days makes,” he said. “After the elation of Treviso was the devastation and embarrassment of Glasgow.

“We capitulated because of individual errors.

“It’s not nice to be booed by your own fans but it was thoroughly deserved. When they were running in tries it was like they had 30 players on the pitch.

“It was embarrassing to be a part of. A few individuals played well and could potentially hold their heads high but the analysis was pretty ugly for a lot of players.

“There are some harsh truths that need to come out. We have to be cruel to be kind if we are to get anything from the rest of the season.

“You can potentially carry one player but not seven. If individuals don’t turn up, don’t want to tackle and don’t want to be a part of the game then it’s always going to be hard.”