Ryan - We must cope with pressure

Dean Ryan acknowledges his Dragons will need to perform under pressure when they face reigning Guinness PRO14 champions Leinster on Friday night (kick-off 7.35pm).

Ryan’s men head to Dublin and RDS Arena in high spirts after defeating Glasgow Warriors – last season’s league runners-up – at Rodney Parade last weekend.

Leinster remain the only defeated team in the league and have only lost once at the RDS in the last 18 months.

And Ryan knows his team must be at their best against a well-drilled side that have swept all before them this season.

“We know that this week we will be under more pressure than last week,” he said.

“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.

“We need to keep challenging this group. We have got to keep working at three or four things, get our individual jobs right and do it under incredible physical pressure. We are not shying away from it.

"We have got some rugby, if conditions allow and score line allows, but we have got to invest in the basic levels of the game and look to keep improving.”

Reflecting on the Glasgow win, Ryan admitted it was the ‘ugly nature’ of the success that pleased him most.

“It’s an area that we have targeted that we need to improve in,” he added.

“To go into a game with poor weather conditions, we needed to prioritise three or four areas that we wanted to focus on and turn up. We don’t make any apologies for the game.

“We have been in other games when we have held too much ambition and it has exposed us to some risk. To get the win is a great step for this group.”

Dragons are next in action on home soil on Saturday, November 16 when they face Castres in the European Challenge Cup at Rodney Parade. Click HERE to buy online and enjoy Early Bird discounted prices!