SAREL Pretorius has pledged that Newport Gwent Dragons will start as they finished in Dublin when they head to Worcester for a crunch European clash.

The Dragons can land a telling blow in their bid for a third successive season of knockout Challenge Cup rugby if they triumph at Sixways on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

Kingsley Jones' men haven't won away from Newport this season and make the short trip to the West Midlands on the back of a 28-15 loss at Guinness Pro12 title hopefuls Leinster.

However, they showed spirit at the Royal Dublin Society to rally in the closing stages with scrum-half Pretorius' try giving them a shot at leaving with the consolation of a bonus point.

The Dragons failed on that front but the way that they stretched the Leinster defensive with some expansive rugby gives the South African reason for optimism.

"We chased the game and the boys played really well, so there were a lot of good things," said Pretorius. "We really tried to keep the ball and if we focus on that we can cause teams problems.

"Our mindset at the beginning of the year was to have a go at teams and let the ball do the work; not to have a fixed pattern and to play what we see in front of us.

"Small little things hurt us at Leinster, like throwing the ball away in contact when we had momentum, but there were still a lot of positives to build on.

"We lost in Russia but still have a lot to play for and tend to do well in Europe – I don't know if it's the refs or the different ball! – so we go to Worcester with confidence."

The Dragons still have to mix attacking intent with pragmatism with Pretorius, who has recently been playing the role of an impact sub, recognising the need to stay in the fight.

"You win games by scoring tries and that's our focus but we also know that we have to make it a close game," said the 32-year-old former Cheetahs man.

"We made life difficult for ourselves against Leinster by struggling to get out of our half and their pressure paid off. The first 20 minutes is so important and we have to show resistance."

Pretorius has been sharing the duties with new boy Tavis Knoyle in recent weeks and is happy to wear 9 or 21.

"I've like role of making an impact from the bench in the last 20 minutes when legs are tired," he said. "As long as I can bring something positive to the team, whether starting or on the bench, then I am happy."

Full-back Carl Meyer and wing Pat Howard will have to go through the head injury assessment protocols this week after suffering blows in Dublin.

The Dragons have not won away from home since stunning Gloucester in the quarter-finals last season but will start as favourites against a Worcester side concentrating on Aviva Premiership survival.