I'M always told not to be too negative because sometimes I'm perceived to be the grumpy old man at Newport Gwent Dragons, but I'll admit that was tough at the start of the week.

Putting a positive spin on things is difficult after a defeat like we suffered against Leinster at Rodney Parade last weekend.

It was so frustrating after a good effort in Connacht the previous round that could so easily have been a win rather than a narrow defeat.

As a local, performances like the one against Leinster really hurt and I refuse to watch Scrum V or anything like that because it will get me down and we aren't shown in a good light at the best of times.

I prefer to leave it for two days and come in on the Monday with a clear head to see where it went wrong.

The immediate aftermath was actually quite calm in the changing room and we stuck to detail rather than being too emotional.

At the start of the week it was about getting clarity because at 45 minutes you wouldn't have thought the 54-22 scoreline was possible but we let ourselves down and capitulated.

When things don't go to plan – and they rarely do – it's how you respond and our response wasn't good enough. We came second in most, if not all, parts of the game.

You have to strike a balance because you have to address what went wrong and correct roles but equally you have to be positive rather than dwelling on things.

It's a fine line because, while you don't want to be too negative, we also constantly want to improve and it was clear that we have to after the Leinster game.

It's all about being honest and you can't afford to brush things under the carpet. Some are more blunt than others – I certainly am and prefer my feedback to be delivered that way – and I would say forwards are harsher on each other than backs.

We mustn't forget that Leinster are a quality side but we made them look even better than they are. We were honest about that at the start of the week and are positive that we will be better, much better, in Glasgow tomorrow afternoon.

They have had a massive attacking philosophy since Gregor Townsend has taken over there and we know that they will come for us, probably with a few trick plays.

We know about the challenge facing us and need to sort out the fine detail that let us down against Leinster.

We have to be accurate, take our chances with better decision-making and in defence get back to the way that we finished against Connacht and stop their offloads.

It's a big test for us be we are looking forward to getting back out there in front of the Sky Sports cameras after last week's disappointment.

It seems that we are the only team in world rugby that recognises starts rather than appearances so I had a nice surprise at Ystrad Mynach on Wednesday.

I was presented with a jersey for hitting the 150 milestone and to be honest that was a bit of a shock. I knew that I'm getting close to 200 appearances but to find out I hit 150 against Worcester at home just before Christmas was a pleasant surprise.

Our analyst Will Precious, one of the few that has been here longer than me, handed it over and it's a nice little memento that will go along with the cap that I'll get at the end of the season… now I can target 250 appearances and 200 starts!