Boss Dean Ryan wants his Dragons to continue build momentum in the European Challenge Cup – and vowed his team will show Enisei-STM plenty of respect.
Dragons make the 2,300-mile trip to Krasnodar in Southern Russia to face Enisei-STM in the Round 2 fixture on Friday afternoon (kick-off 3pm UK time).
Ryan is hoping his team can build upon the bonus point win over Castres Olympique in the opening round of fixtures in Pool 1.
But he acknowledges Dragons must turn up in the right frame of mind and produce at the Kuban Stadium.
And Dragons need to look no further than the fixture between the two teams in October 2016 when the Russian side secured a shock 38-18 win for a warning.
“I’m hoping the rugby momentum continues with us and we keep building,” said the Director of Dragons Rugby.
“Nobody has a right to win. If you don’t turn up in the right space and give the opponent the right respect then this game is great because it can take that away from anybody.
“We have used that to our own advantage in the past and this is a situation where probably the pressure is on us. We have got to turn up and do it right.
“Five points is definitely a great start. But if we leave Castres in the mix then going out there in the later rounds will be lively.
“I’d imagine the Worcester game back-to-back is going to be crucial and it would be great to integrate some of our World Cup boys during that window.”
Ryan is also adamant his squad can cope with the lengthy travel to Russia that will see them make the long journey via Moscow.
“Travelling on a Wednesday and spending a huge amount of time in airports is a challenge to your focus,” he said.
“We will train over there and I have spoken to some of the Worcester guys about the experience.
“If you want to be in this side you need to play well against Enisei and you need to get lots of things right to knock on my door and say I should be in against Zebre.”
Dragons are next at home when they tackle Zebre in the Guinness PRO14 at Rodney Parade on Saturday, November 30. Can Dean Ryan's men make it a hat-trick of wins on home soil?
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Nobody has a right to win... If you don’t turn up in the right space and give the opponent the right respect then this game can take that away from anybody...
