Angus O’ Brien knows it is a ‘great opportunity for us as a club’ on Friday evening as Dragons RFC face a vital must-win game against Newcastle Red Bulls at Rodney Parade (kick-off 8pm), writes Fin Palfreyman.
A win in the Round 4 tie in the EPCR Challenge Cup would leave the Men of Gwent ahead of both Perpignan and Lions in the standings, before their clash on Saturday evening.
Newcastle, go into the match-up safe in the knowledge of qualification, after three wins out three securing a safe passage into the next round.
Co-captain O’Brien, who returns to the starting line-up, has stressed the importance of the game and the opportunity for Dragons to qualify for the knockout stages in Europe for the first time since 2022/23.
“It would be huge for us,” he said. “We’re just focusing on winning this game and putting us in a position to qualify.
“It’s something we haven’t done the last few years and being in the latter stages of European competition is huge.
“It's a great opportunity for us as a club, to play against the top European teams, and it’s one we’re relishing.
“We know what we need to do to put ourselves in the position to do that - it’s a big night and we’re really excited for it.”
Reflecting on the Benetton defeat, O’Brien underlined the need for responding in the correct manner.
He added: “Obviously we were disappointed with the result and aspects of the performance, but this week’s been about learning, and we’ve got an opportunity to put things right to try and qualify in Europe.
“We’ve got to learn quick and not let it hang over us going into Friday and put in a good performance in against a strong Newcastle team at Rodney Parade."
Dragons form at Rodney Parade recently has been excellent, with three wins from the last three and O’ Brien acknowledged the importance of continuing that trend come Friday.
“We’ve had some good performances this season which we haven’t properly capitalised on results wise but getting that first win was massive for the group in terms of confidence,” he stated.
“A massive result against Connacht builds momentum, builds confidence and the boys can carry that into games going forward.
“It’s been massive for us the last few weeks and hopefully we can carry that into this game.”
Tickets for our home EPCR Challenge Cup fixture with Newcastle Red Bulls remain on sale NOW! Click HERE to buy online or call the Ticket Office team on 01633 670 690 during office hours
