CENTRE Jack Dixon says Newport Gwent Dragons are quietly confident they can go one stage further than the class of 2007 by making it to the European Rugby Challenge Cup final after their "ugly win" against Cardiff Blues.

The 20-year-old from Newbridge was at the centre of two key moments in the nervy 25-21 success against their regional rivals at Rodney Parade, putting in the decoy run that enabled Hallam Amos to race under the posts for a key score before half-time and then earning the breakdown penalty at the death to spark wild scenes.

The Dragons played some terrific rugby against Stade Francais and Newcastle to earn a home tie in the last eight but Dixon admits they were far from their best in the tense derby.

"It wasn't the best of performances," said the inside centre. "It was an ugly win but a win and that's all that counts.

"We are not really bothered with the performance and there was relief when the final whistle went after they'd been camped on our line – the last 10 minutes were the longest 10 minutes ever!"

The victory means that the Dragons now have a mammoth April with Sunday's home encounter against Leinster followed by their semi-final and then it is Judgement Day against the Scarlets at the Millennium Stadium.

Lyn Jones' men have won three on the spin after notable Guinness Pro12 victories against Ulster and Treviso and Dixon feels their form bodes well for a strong run-in.

"We just have to knuckle down for Leinster before the semi-final," said Dixon. "We are improving week on week and our confidence is right up there.

"The win against the Blues is a massive boost to the players and the club and we've had some great wins over the last couple of weeks.

"It was a great experience for the boys and we enjoyed the pressure game. Now we are quietly confident for the semi-final because we are in a good position as a team at the moment and believe we can push on to the final."

Leinster are likely to ring the changes for their trip to Newport on Sunday (kick-off 4.15pm) even though they cannot afford to slip up in the battle for the playoffs.

The Dubliners sit in fifth place and need to keep the pressure on the Ospreys, Munster, Ulster and Glasgow but also face a Champions Cup semi-final.

Dragons director of rugby Lyn Jones must also strike a tricky balance between resting his charges and attempting to keep their momentum.