THERE are quite a few golfers in the Newport Gwent Dragons squad but we’re more than happy to be missing the Ryder Cup finale in order to be in the best possible shape for our must-win clash with Treviso.

The fixture clashes with crunch time at Gleneagles but that’s fine with us – the Guinness Pro12 Sunday slot will help make sure we are well rested and prepared for what is a massive game.

The size of the turnaround is key in rugby and it’s especially challenging, both on the body and the mind, when you go from a Sunday game to a Friday game.

Thankfully we’ve been able to enjoy a full week of hard work at our base in Ystrad Mynach after playing Glasgow last Saturday.

That has been crucial to help some of the boys that haven’t trained regularly with us to get to grips with some of the team organisation and fine detail.

Glasgow were more than good value for their win last week but it was a game that showed the value of experience and continuity.

They came over to Rodney Parade full of confidence and with a well-rehearsed game plan whereas we were already struggling with injuries and things went from bad to worse in the game.

Hugh Gustafson, our prop/hooker, had to come on in the second row when Matthew Screech got injured just minutes after coming off the bench.

Glasgow were very sharp and possess one of the best aerial games in the league – they pinned us back and made us pay in the final quarter.

The review of the game was hard viewing with some tough calls at scrum time and some individual errors in defence.

Those mistakes need to be addressed and if we look after our own processes at the set piece and in attack then the performance and ultimately the result will come.

Treviso, like us, are looking for their first win and I think it’s fair to say that they are not quite as strong as they once were.

That is not being disrespectful – and there is no danger of us underestimating them – but they are in a bid of a rebuilding phase.

Their relationship with the Italian Rugby Federation has been strained of late and that led to a mass exodus of their star players.

Treviso have lost plenty of talent to the Aviva Premiership and lots of their replacements have come from the Italian domestic league.

The faces may be different but the challenge will be the same – Treviso will be relentless at the contact area and will pressure our set piece if we are not on top of our game.

But I am confident that we will record our first win on Sunday and hopefully when I watch the Ryder Cup back later on I will be toasting a double success.

I couldn’t go when the competition was held at the Celtic Manor in 2010 because it clashed with a game, funnily enough against Treviso in Italy.

It was extended an extra day because of the rain and I was able to watch it in some form because my mate Will Evans, the Newport hooker, has a farm that overlooks the Twenty Ten course and built a scaffolding tower.

I couldn’t see it in detail but still got to experience the winning putt by Graeme McDowell from across the valley.

The roar was incredible on that Monday afternoon and hopefully Dragons fans, as well as the Europe supporters in Scotland, will have plenty to cheer this weekend.