NEWPORT Gwent Dragons boss Lyn Jones is excited by the task of trying to end Gloucester’s 15-game winning streak in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

The Dragons will travel to take on the holders at Kingsholm in the second weekend of April after they were thumped by Sale in last week’s Pool Two decider.

Gloucester are seeded second behind Harlequins after winning all six group games for the second season on the spin.

The Cherry and Whites lifted the trophy at the Twickenham Stoop last year when they beat Edinburgh, who had thrashed the Dragons at Murrayfield in the semi-finals.

They have lost just one European game in the last two seasons - their Champions Cup play-off against Bordeaux-Begles at Worcester last May.

Jones’ side will be big underdogs for the short trip over the border, the date of which will be confirmed by the end of this week, and have already been priced by the bookies as the least likely winners of the entire tournament.

However, the task of toppling Gloucester in front of a packed house excites the director of rugby.

“They are the champions and Kingsholm is a great rugby arena,” said Jones. “It’s a long time since they lost in this competition but such records are there to be broken.

“I am very proud that we have made it through the quarter-finals after being in a difficult group with two French teams and one from the Aviva Premiership. We deserved to go through and our reward is an exciting game.

“We have had our disaster for the season at Sale and we will be better prepared for the quarter-final when the sun is shining in April and we have the likes of James Thomas, Andrew Coombs, Dorian Jones, Tyler Morgan and Jack Dixon back from injury.

“Gloucester is a good distance for our supporters to travel and I am sure they will offer us great backing.”

If they can upset the odds then they will either host Sale Sharks or travel to Montpellier in the last four.

The Dragons last played Gloucester in the LV= Cup semi-final at Kingsholm in 2011 when the Cherry and Whites eased to a seven-try, 45-17 home success.

Nine players from that matchday squad are still at Rodney Parade – number eight Taulupe Faletau, flanker Lewis Evans, lock Andrew Coombs, prop Phil Price, hooker Hugh Gustafson, fly-half Jason Tovey, wing Aled Brew and centres Adam Hughes and Pat Leach.

Quarter-finals: Harlequins (1) v London Irish (8), Gloucester (2) v Newport Gwent Dragons (7), Sale (3) v Montpellier (6), Grenoble (4) v Connacht (5)