I WASN'T in the travelling party that set off for Russia last night but I am sure the boys will get the job done professionally against Enisei in the European Rugby Challenge Cup.

They have headed to Krasnodar in good spirits thanks to our win against Brive at Rodney Parade last Friday – it's nice to have something really positive to talk about.

We've had a few good starts this season but haven't been able to finish games off. I think that's down to not being used to the position of being in front, so hopefully that win can be a turning point.

After going from 13-0 up to 16-13 down I think that a lot of fans would have been fearing the same old story… and I'll be honest, part of me was thinking 'Oh god, here we go'!

But the determination from the boys not to allow this performance to turn to another narrow defeat was outstanding and to kick in after 55 minutes shows how far we have come as a squad.

The game wasn't going to be won in the first hour, it was always going to take that long. As I've said in previous weeks, it is the same in most fixtures and we have been learning to build into a game and now we can finish it off.

We got that one try and were ruthless for the first time in a while to score three more, although we've felt for a while that a team would bear the brunt of what we are capable of because against the Scarlets, Glasgow and Munster we had put in good performances which could have ended in narrow wins not defeats.

It was a great feeling to not only get a win against a strong French team but also do it playing good rugby and scoring tries.

That gave us the perfect boost for Enisei, which will be a mental challenge as well as a physical one for the boys.

When the draw was made I had mixed emotions – I was intrigued by Russia but was also a bit sceptical about the long trip.

As it turns out I'll be one of the team staying at home after having a pretty brutal few games on the bounce, while there are plenty of players who deserve a starting chance.

Harri Keddie is one of those, and was one of those who came off the bench and contributed a lot against Brive bringing energy and enthusiasm.

He has waited patiently and there are few other boys in the XV who are in the same boat – as I've written before this season, it's a long campaign and we will all have to play our part.

Keddie is one of a number of really bright prospects coming through at the Dragons and I know from experience that you just have to bide your time and keep learning.

Youngsters want to start every week, and that exuberance is vital, but it's also about growing slowly and trusting the process and their development. It's about getting the balance right between exposing talent to senior rugby while also shielding them.

Angus O'Brien is a prime example because I think he is really coming along rapidly now thanks to learning from the likes of Nick Macleod.

I don't doubt that Keddie has the physical attributes but game understanding does take a while. Some players like Toby Faletau and Hallam Amos adapt straight away but it does take a bit longer for us mere mortals to get over that step up from age-grade or Premiership rugby.

There's a lot of quality coming through the ranks at the moment and I'd like to think that we've got a good blend in the squad to nurture it.

I am sure Keddie will show his quality in a win because while it's not going to be easy in Russia, our quality should tell.

We were a bit wary of conditions but have been told it's not too different to our winter, which is a relief, while we also know a bit about Enisei.

They had a really good win against Worcester last week and have a basic structure with some big, physical guys and plenty of international experience.

What should stand us in good stead is that a number of our players have experience of Bucharest two years back; although Enisei are a much stronger team, there are some similar challenges.

If we go there and try to fling the ball around it will end up like the frustrating Zebre game in the second week of the season. We know that we are the better team but it's just about doing a professional job and respecting them.