Boss Dean Ryan wants his Dragons to be excited by the challenge of facing reigning Guinness PRO14 champions Leinster in their own backyard to launch the new season.
Dragons jet to Dublin to face the hugely successful Irish province at the RDS Arena on Friday evening (kick-off 8.15pm).
Director of Dragons Rugby Ryan admits his team have been handed a tough assignment to start the new campaign – just weeks after the European Challenge Cup quarter-final with Bristol Bears.
After their Guinness PR14 triumph, Leinster were beaten by Saracens the following weekend in the European Champions Cup quarter-final and now face Dragons in the first game back.
But Ryan insists his side must embrace the challenge, as it is the only way they will be competitive at the highest level.
“There are two ways of looking at this fixture,” said Ryan. “You are either daunted by going to Leinster or really excited by the challenge - we have tried to sit in that second camp.
“We’ve had a strange start to the season, in that two weeks ago we played in a European quarter-final. None of those look like a nice easy way into a season.
“A quarter-final against Bristol after six months doing nothing and then into Leinster who get wounded in Europe last time out.
“There are easier ways to start, but for us we are really excited about trying to be more competitive at the highest level.
“If we played Leinster six weeks later in the middle of the autumn series then we would still be challenged, because the Leinster back-up team is an outstanding team.
“Starting the season there, playing against a side that potentially is licking its wounds, is exactly where we are going to learn and exactly how we get better. We learnt more about ourselves in the Bristol game than in many others.
“The team are in a space that is all about getting out there, being excited and looking to learn from playing some of the best teams around.”
Ryan has said tha Dtragons have no major injury concerns for he clash, but added that "bumps and bruises" would be assessed ahead of the trip to Ireland.
Starting the season there, playing against a side that potentially is licking its wounds, is exactly where we are going to learn and exactly how we get better...
