ANDREW Coombs believes a "brutal" training week bodes well for Newport Gwent Dragons as they attempt to break their Dublin duck against Leinster tomorrow (kick-off 3pm).

The Dragons have never beaten the Guinness Pro12 champions on their own patch but are buoyed by victories on their travels to Stade Francais, Cardiff Blues and Newcastle this season.

And after a first half of the campaign that was plagued by injuries, the region are also being driven on by competition for places, especially up front.

Coombs and captain Rynard Landman have formed a formidable second-row partnership but are being kept on their toes by Ian Gough, who is among the replacements, and the burgeoning pair of Cory Hill and Matthew Screech.

"Training has been brutal," said the Wales international. "I've never seen it so competitive here and the boys are really getting stuck into each other.

"It's a good thing that we are testing each other day in, day out. We are building here and have got a good pack and any one of those boys could step in at any time and do a job. That's where you want to be as a squad.

"At the start of the season we were lucky to get a full pack out on the training field so we are in a pretty good position at the moment. Hopefully it stays that way until the end of the season.

"Everyone wants to play but Lyn (Jones, director of rugby) has been happy with the side in recent weeks and it has been pretty settled. Everybody knows that they need to do something special in training to break into that team.

"It's a pretty exciting time for us. Last season after Christmas we fell apart and we didn't have the strength in depth but now we've got a much stronger squad and the boys are really excited about trying to climb the league."

Coombs captained the Newport side that stunned Leinster A at Donnybrook in February 2010 – a Black and Ambers team that also featured regional teammates Pat Leach, Matthew Pewtner and Lewis Evans – but has never won on Irish soil with the Dragons.

Leinster are having to dig deep into their notoriously strong squad given that 12 of their players feature for the national side against France today and the Irish province have not played since drawing at Wasps in the European Rugby Champions Cup on January 24.

"They have one of the best squads in Europe but it's a big chance for us and we have a settled side," said Coombs.

"We blew the cobwebs away against London Welsh (in the LV= Cup) and needed that ahead of a massive game.

"We haven't been very successful in Ireland through the years and we need to concentrate for 80 minutes because against Leinster, Ulster, Munster and even Connacht you can't afford to switch off for a moment."

The Dragons' team selection suggests a direct approach with plenty of kicking with Jack Dixon and Pat Leach paired in midfield while Jason Tovey slots in at full-back. In-form flankers James Thomas and Nic Cudd return after sitting out the LV= Cup.

Leinster: D Kearney, F McFadden, B Te'o, N Reid, D Fanning, J Gopperth, L McGrath, M Bent, R Strauss, T Furlong, T Denton, K Douglas, D Ryan, S Jennings (captain), J Conan. Replacements: A Dundon, P Dooley, J Hagan, M McCarthy, J Van Der Flier, J Cooney, C Marsh, L Fitzgerald.

Dragons: J Tovey, T Prydie, P Leach, J Dixon, H Amos, D Jones, J Evans, O Evans, R Thomas, B Harris, A Coombs, R Landman (captain), J Thomas, N Cudd, N Crosswell. Replacements: R Buckley, B Stankovich, D Way, I Gough, J Benjamin, R Rees, A Smith, M Pewtner.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)