FLANKER Ollie Griffiths says Newport Gwent Dragons know they must break their away duck if they are to keep champions Connacht in their Guinness PRO12 ‘mini league’.

The Dragons currently sit in 10th place in the table with just the Italian pair of Treviso and Zebre beneath them but unlike last season the teams above are not in the distance.

Kingsley Jones’ men are a point behind Edinburgh, six back on Connacht and nine behind Cardiff Blues with games against their three rivals still to come.

First up is a trip to Galway on Saturday (kick-off 7.35pm) to face the champions, who won at the Arms Park on Sunday, and the Dragons can ill afford another miserable away day.

Last Friday they were comprehensively beaten by leaders Munster in Cork, a defeat that stretched their losing PRO12 streak away from Rodney Parade to 21 games.

“It was massively frustrating,” said Griffiths. “We were quietly confident and saw it as a big opportunity with them missing a few internationals but unfortunately things didn’t go our way.

“Munster are still a top team even without their Ireland players and Connacht will be another big challenge but it’s a game that we have to target.

“We have spoken about our away record and if we can get a big win then we believe we can go on a roll. That would be massive because if we want to work our way up the table in the latter stages of the season then every point will be vital.

“Connacht are a strong side but we have to come away with points.”

The Dragons took the spoils 21-16 when they welcomed Connacht to Newport in November and need to produce the same tenacity that has seen them win four of their last five league games on home soil.

“We have to move on as quickly as possible from the Munster game and can’t make the same mistakes,” said Griffiths.

“It’s always tough in Ireland, especially if you compound errors. Munster played well but a lot of it was down to our errors. The work ethic is there in abundance but it’s just the small details.”

Griffiths was the pick of the Dragons players in Cork with an excellent defensive display when playing with 6 on his back rather than his preferred 7.

“A lot of our defence was scrambling and making cover tackles because they had a lot of go-forward ball,” said the 21-year-old from Newbridge.

“I don’t mind playing blindside because you carry the ball a bit more, while it’s good playing with another openside. We help each other out at the contact area and Cuddy was great over the ball again at Munster.”

The Dragons have a miserable record at Connacht with their sole success coming in the first season of regional rugby when they triumphed 32-14 in Galway with tries from fly-half Craig Warlow, wings Hal Luscombe and Nathan Brew and centre Percy Montgomery while former Newport favourite Matt Mostyn scored a brace for the hosts.

Saturday’s hosts are bolstered by the presence of four Ireland squad members – prop Finlay Bealham, lock Ultan Dillane, scrum-half Kieran Marmion and full-back Tiernan O’Halloran.

Dillane and Marmion came off the bench in the Six Nations encounters with Scotland and Italy while O’Halloran and Bealham played in Sunday’s 19-13 win against Cardiff Blues in the capital.

The champions are, however, sweating on the availability of centre Stacey Ili after the New Zealander suffered a “minor” ankle injury at the Arms Park.

Connacht’s win in Cardiff ended a three-game losing streak in the PRO12 but their only loss in their last eight fixtures in Galway was to Munster on New Year’s Eve.