DEAN Ryan has demanded that his Dragons side are not sightseers in Dublin this evening, with the boss challenging his players to chance their arm against champions Leinster.
The Rodney Parade region head to the Royal Dublin Society (kick-off 7.35pm) buoyed by a win against last season's runners-up Glasgow.
However, this evening promises to be the toughest assignment of the campaign against a Leinster side who are four wins from four, even though they have been without their Ireland stars because of the World Cup.
The Dragons are massive underdogs and have only ever won once in Dublin, in February 2015, but director of rugby Ryan wants his team to have a crack.
"We've got to be competitive," he said. "If we sit back and let them dictate the pace of the game, with the quality of the players they have got, you just end up being a sightseer to something.
"We can't afford to do that. We've got to chance our arm. We have got to get in there and be challenging around the breakdown and try and create some difficulties for them, otherwise it will become a bit of a show that you can't quite get yourself into."
Leinster are still without the likes of Jonathan Sexton, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, James Ryan, Luke McGrath, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose after their World Cup exertions in Japan.
However, the Dragons have learnt painfully in the past that the Irish province are able to field a 'second string' that many sides would love as their firsts.
"Leinster are a side that has been together a long time, has a system that generates players that know the structures of the team," said Ryan.
"When big players are away, they have the next generation pushing hard and another generation behind that. It's a side that has been working to that model for a long time."
He continued: "We know that this week we will be under more pressure than last week, it will be quicker and the clarity we need under those pressure environments is a big area for us to work on.
"We will be up against a Leinster side that is very, very organised, that put a lot of pressure on through the pace and intensity that they can play."
The Dragons face Irish opposition for the third time this season after being outmuscled in the tight by both Munster in Limerick and Connacht in Newport.
The performance of the pack in the no-frills victory against Glasgow in foul conditions earned Ryan's seal of approval.
"I was pleased because of the ugly nature of the game. It's an area that we've targeted for improvement," he said.
"We went into a game in poor weather conditions and prioritised three or four things. We don't make any apologies for that because we've been in other games where we've had too much ambition and it's exposed us to some risk.
"To get that and to get the win was a great step for the group and we've got to keep doing it.
"We know that this week we'll be under more pressure, the game will be quicker and the clarity that we need in those pressure environments is a big area for us to work on."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here