WHEN Rhys Thomas lined up for Cardiff Blues against Toulon at the Stade Veledrome in 2010 he was on enemy territory and had nothing to lose. When he pulls on his Newport Gwent Dragons jersey on Saturda afternoon he will be under pressure to make home advantage count.

The 31-year-old hooker will be a major protagonist in the quarter-final derby at Rodney Parade as he attempts to get the Dragons' well-drilled driving lineout marching forwards.

It's expected to be a tight tussle with the hosts slight favourites courtesy of playing on their own turf.

The scenario was different when the former Wales hooker took to the field in the Challenge Cup final against a Toulon side featuring Jonny Wilkinson, Sonny Bill Williams, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Joe van Niekerk and Tana Umaga.

Yet the Blues upset the odds to win 28-21 and become the first, and still only, Welsh side to lift a European trophy.

"We were underdogs out there," said Thomas. "It was supposed to be a neutral venue but it was about 20 minutes from their home ground.

"I remember the feeling of just having to play what was in front of us and having no real pressure. It's different this time around because we are at home.

"We have got added pressure because we have shown that we can play, beating Ulster and Leinster when underdogs. This game can show how much we have matured."

Backing up performances has been a problem for the Dragons this season.

Their win against Stade Francais was followed by a loss to Newcastle, they lost the Blues on New Year's Day after winning in the capital on Boxing Day and after a stunning win at Leinster they lost to Connacht and Zebre.

But last month they upset title hopefuls Ulster at Rodney Parade and then dug deep for a hard-earned 32-17 win at Treviso, their first ever league success at the Stadio Monigo.

"They came back to 20-17 and a few months ago we would've shot ourselves in the foot but we regrouped and got ourselves out of the muck. We've come a long way," said Thomas.

The experienced hooker has played a key role at the Dragons' training base in Ystrad Mynach this week, providing some welcome advice to the young talent of Hallam Amos, Jack Dixon, Tyler Morgan, James Benjamin and Dorian Jones, who have never experienced knockout rugby.

"As soon as you start training differently, especially with a lot of youngsters here, it can create an edge so we have tried to be relaxed," he said.

"It's a huge game but I've played in a few of these European games before but the trick is to treat as one more week on the road."