NO team scored more points against Glasgow at Scotstoun than the Dragons last season. The problem was that nobody conceded more.

The Rodney Parade club return to the scene of the European Challenge Cup crime tonight (kick-off 7.35pm).

The Dragons lost 73-33 in the last 16 of the competition, conceding 11 tries in a humiliating defeat.

Remarkably, that wasn't the low point of 2023.

That came on Boxing Day when Dai Flanagan’s men shipped nine tries in a 55-21 hammering at Cardiff with seven of them coming in the first half.

The two drubbing are linked by plastic.

The Dragons train on a 3G pitch in Ystrad Mynach but have not fared well on them recently, which needs to improve given that they travel to Glasgow and then next up is a first experience of Ulster’s new artificial surface.

Flanagan’s men, who also lost 45-14 at Munster on plastic when down to the bare bones, need to find defensive solutions against a Warriors side who have won every home URC game this season and are second in the try chart.

"A big focus for us is how we slow ball down in games and win more collisions when the opposition have the ball,” said the head coach, whose side shipped a total of 27 tries in the losses in Glasgow, Cardiff and Cork.

South Wales Argus: ROUT: Glasgow scored 11 tries against the Dragons in the Challenge Cup last seasonROUT: Glasgow scored 11 tries against the Dragons in the Challenge Cup last season (Image: Press Association)

“We are going to two artificial pitches, which should enhance our attack, but we have to control the speed of ball.

"We are finding that bigger men win collisions on these surfaces and that creates speed of ball.

"You have to stay in the fight longer, watch Glasgow defend and they are very detailed in sticking together in their systems.

"There is no chink in their armour and that means there is always two men in the tackle, holding people up or fighting on the ball.

"One of our biggest work-ons has to be our carry height because we want to generate quick ball to stress Glasgow."

The Dragons’ last win on an artificial surface was their 2020 triumph at Scotstoun when the Warriors’ Brandon Thomson pulled a match-winning conversion with the clock in the red.

Flanagan’s men are massive underdogs for the clash in Glasgow with the head coach not expecting the hosts to skip a beat without their Scotland contingent.

The Warriors are a threat out wide but they also thrived with the driving lineout in the Challenge Cup last season when hooker Johnny Matthews scored five tries.

"It's tough and they're a well-coached team and when they lose an international team they bring an international team in to replace them," he said.

"They've also got a lot of experienced overseas players that they're able to bring in for this period and that comes with budget luxuries that hopefully Welsh rugby will get to one day.”