DRAGONS boss Dai Flanagan believes his side have the ability to cause another United Rugby Championship upset by breaking their away duck in style against the Lions.

The Rodney Parade club enjoyed a strong first block of the season thanks to their performances on home soil, stunning Munster and the Ospreys and avoiding a Zebre banana skin.

They also pushed the Sharks hard when beaten by a late converted try but the displays away from Newport need to improve.

The Dragons were hammered at Edinburgh, failed to take their chances in Cardiff and were outplayed by Benetton; they are pointless on the road.

They now face a huge test of their squad depth with a South Africa tour that will pit them against the Lions twice, the second clash being the European Challenge Cup opener, either side of an encounter with the Stormers.

Flanagan knows the size of the tasks facing them but has headed to Johannesburg with a positive mindset and encouraged his players to relish the challenges.

South Wales Argus: Dragons boss Dai FlanaganDragons boss Dai Flanagan

“The track should suit what we are trying to do in attack and we’re just looking to express ourselves,” he said ahead of tomorrow’s Ellis Park fixture (kick-off 2pm).

“There's going to be opportunity for certain players within the internationals away early on and I can't stress how excited we are as a group.

“We've noticed the last two years that the South Africans are pretty good at home so it'll be a challenge for us.

“We most certainly have the ability, I have no doubt. We've got a pretty decent squad here and the confidence has hopefully grown in the group.”

The Dragons lost all four games against the South Africans last season with the Lions triumphing 21-11 in Newport on the last day of 2021/22.

The Rodney Parade club have never won in South Africa – one 18-18 draw with the Southern Kings, who also hammered them 45-13 to go with losses to the Cheetahs (38-13), Bulls (55-20) and Sharks (51-3) – and won’t just have to cope with a brutal approach.

“The Lions have really expanded their game,” said Flanagan. “We all know about the power that South Africans have but they have subtleties.

“They have two really good outside halves, a really good scrum half who gives them energy and it is up to us to match it.

“We can't be too loose out there. We've got to contain and control. Altitude will be tough, but it's something most of us have experienced so it shouldn't be a surprise.

“It’s about staying in the fight. I experienced it last year when with the Scarlets we had two different type of games.

“The Sharks game we were in the fight till the end and it was much easier. The Bulls blew us off the park early on and you don't know where you go from there.

“It's important we stay in that fight and that gives us the best chance to win.”

The Dragons intend to add to their URC tally and get their European campaign off to a strong start in South Africa but they also want to build towards key games.

They return to Newport to host Pau in the Challenge Cup before festive derbies against Cardiff and the Scarlets.

“We can get really tight and look after each other while we are away, that then puts us in great stead for a home game against Pau and the derby games and into that period after that,” said Flanagan.