SAREL Pretorius admits that Newport Gwent Dragons need a break to lick their wounds after a nightmare fortnight in the Guinness PRO12.

The Dragons have a two weeks off while the knockout stages of the Anglo-Welsh Cup are played before they return with a home encounter with play-off chasing Ulster on Friday, March 24.

It will be a first break for Kingsley Jones' side since the start of the season and they have had a torrid time since beating Enisei-STM on January 13.

They have lost their last seven fixtures in all competitions and have been crushed in their last two games, shipping eight tries in a 54-22 loss to Leinster in Newport and conceding seven in a 47-17 hammering in Glasgow.

Livewire scrum-half Sarel Pretorius is confident that a rest can help them come back refreshed for one final push.

"We've got a two-week break and that's a good thing so that we can relax, get our heads off rugby and come back firing," said the South African.

"We have to be focused for the last five games to try and get something and build for next season.

"We are a good squad and the boys want to focus on the positives but at the moment we are looking forward to a break; we just need to get our minds off rugby and come back ready to focus on a strong finish.

"The boys need to stick together and we will – character is built through times like this."

The Dragons are 10th in the PRO12 and after Ulster go up against Zebre and Edinburgh away, take on the Scarlets at Principality Stadium and finish against Cardiff Blues.

They are aiming at leapfrogging ninth-placed Edinburgh, who are two points ahead, and ending a two-year drought on their travels in the PRO12.

"We need to get the monkey off our back and I really believe that we can be a great team if we can start winning away from home," said Pretorius.

"Glasgow was the story of our season. We said that we had nothing to lose and just wanted to play, we did that to have them under pressure in the first half but then second half they just blew us off the pitch.

"Little errors crept in and after being on the front foot it was down to soft moments that put us under the pump. We just have to go back and start over again on a new page."