TO lose our unbeaten away record at the Dragons on Sunday was disappointing for a variety of reasons.

But with Saturday's game against champions Leinster at the RDS Arena in Dublin, we have a great opportunity to bounce back.

The biggest disappointment at Rodney Parade on Sunday was that we had built a 10-point lead and really put ourselves in a very strong position to close out the game - but did not see it through.

To lose the fixture in the last 10 minutes, after having led from the third minute, was just so frustrating.

The consolation of a bonus point did little to dull our pain.

I felt that some of the rugby we played when we had the ball was good but I also thought that we did not show the energy and urgency I expect when we were not in possession.

We take a lot of pride from being a tough side to beat, but at times against Newport Gwent Dragons our defence wasn't at the required standard.

We will be looking to get our defensive system working better, much better, on Saturday and the players must put in maximum effort when we don't have the ball.

Leinster are one of the best attacking sides in Europe, so we're going to have to bring one of our best-ever defensive displays in order to win at the RDS.

We are also working hard to improve our attacking accuracy, and getting unforced turn-overs out of our play.

While the Dragons were very good in the contact area last weekend, it was loose play from us at the end, in the form of a slack pass and a rushed clearing kick, which ultimately gifted them the winning score.

But, as always, even in defeat we learned a great deal and there were a number of positives.

The performance of young Finn Russell, on his first start for Glasgow Warriors, was immensely promising.

His kicking was almost immaculate and he was unlucky not to win the game for us at the death.

He will have learned a lot about how to prepare for and manage a game at pro level.

Rob Harley and Jonny Gray put huge effort into the game, and we also got a very welcome 35 minutes of rugby out of Mike Cusack after he had been out for 14 months with injury.

Now we face the team that has been the dominant force in European rugby over the past few seasons on their own soil - and, as always, there are some big selection calls to be made.

We've received a boost with the availability of Chris Cusiter, Tommy Seymour and Tim Swinson - fresh from their exploits with the Scotland squad.

We also have Peter Murchie back fit after a shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines for more than four months.

He has looked really good in training during the past few weeks and is more than ready to return to the playing squad.

Ahead of our trip to Dublin I have stressed the two key factors which I believe are vital to winning rugby matches at the top level and which we will need to improve on Saturday evening.

An outstanding defence is absolutely vital.

Being accurate in attack goes without saying and, in addition, we will have to seize any opportunity we create over there if we are to record a historic win.