LYN Jones says Newport Gwent Dragons will need the same mental approach that broke their Dublin duck in stunning fashion if they are to end 11 years of hurt in Galway on Friday evening.

The Rodney Parade side kick off their Guinness Pro12 campaign against Connacht (kick-off 7.30pm) and will try to triumph at the Sportsground for the first time since Andy Marinos captained them to a 32-14 success in May, 2004.

The Dragons have left Galway with bonus points in three of the last four visits and would love to turn narrow losses into a notable win.

They have traditionally suffered travelled sickness against the four provinces but ended a seven-year wait for glory in Ireland when they beat Leinster in Dublin for the first time last February.

Jones says his side will need to treat Connacht with the same respect as the three-times European champions to get their season off to a flying start.

"This is a mental challenge," said the Dragons director of rugby. "Too often teams turn up and think Connacht are not the side that Munster or Leinster are, but they are.

"As a group we are trying to move up the league and improve year on year. We have been developing and getting better but we have a lot of ground to make up and those that we are chasing have moved forward themselves.

"Connacht are a great example of that – they play a sound game and have all the right bits to be successful."

The Dragons are reluctant to publicly express targets for the season but after finishing ninth last season will want to push into the race for Champions Cup rugby with the Scarlets, Connacht and Edinburgh.

The games with that trio yielded just six points out of a possible 30 last season, something that needs to change if European heavyweights are to be welcomed to Rodney Parade in 2016/17.

"The Scarlets, Connacht and Edinburgh are in the middle of the league – how are we going to be in their company? Well, we have to beat them," said the former flanker.

"We are probably four times the side we were 12 months ago and we are enthusiastic about the first game.

"Pre-season doesn't count for anything but we look at how we finished 2014/15 when we really put some good rugby together and started to understand how to win rugby matches."

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