Hook key to Perpignan's Welsh test

"During the first week of training with him it was brilliant. Whether it is in attack or in defence he is fully committed and I am sure he will be eager to do well for his new club against a Welsh team.

"The Dragons are a very good club with a number of Welsh internationals and for the away game against them on Thursday night we will have to show plenty of aggression because they are a very physical side.

"But we must also be fully disciplined because the Welsh offer a superb attacking game and we will have to be sound in defence. With players like Toby Faletau and Lloyd Burns they are loaded with power and experience, because those guys came back from the World Cup in which they performed brilliantly.

"We take heart at Perpignan at how the return of our internationals rekindled the dynamics within the group so I imagine that it is the same with the Dragons and it must have given them a massive boost to have them back. "They bring more confidence and with their high standards they will pull their team-mates to the top.

"Playing in the Amlin Challenge Cup at first might not sound as exciting as the Heineken Cup but then when you realise the level of the teams involved, including big French clubs, it is definitely an exciting and challenging tournament.

"Part of our objectives are to be successful in the Amlin Challenge Cup and to go through to the Heineken Cup next season. We have two ways to achieve that, through our domestic championship or by winning this tournament and the best scenario for us would be to lift the trophy which is always good for your club record.

"Our first Amlin Challenge Cup win was a relief because we had to get back in touch with a sense of victory. We struggled in the first half and we made a lot of errors but in the second half we showed more control and it went well for us.

"That was our first meeting with Exeter and they certainly gave us a hard time. As for the Italians from I Cavalieri Prato, I know that they are just a notch below Treviso but from our experience we have good reasons to be wary of those Italian clubs, with Treviso causing us problems in our last encounters. So it'll be interesting to see what happens later this season when we meet them."