Tiatia eyes Dragons improvement for Glasgow test
Dragons are bottom of the URC table, while Glasgow sit in second place
- Published
United Rugby Championship: Dragons v Glasgow Warriors
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport Date: Sunday,16 February Kick off: 14:00 GMT
Coverage: Score updates and match report on the BBC Sport website and app.
Filo Tiatia says Dragons face a "real challenge" as they prepare to face high-flying Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship (URC) at Rodney Parade on Sunday.
Dragons are bottom of the table having won only one of their 10 URC games this season.
Tiatia, who was appointed Dragons head coach on a long-term basis this week, says his focus remains on improving performances.
"We know where we are," Tiatia said.
"Our ambition is to get off the bottom of the table, and the leaders have been really good at instilling high standards.
"We need to stay in the moment and focus on what we can control. The challenge is real, but we're looking forward to it."
Tiatia acknowledged the tough challenge Glasgow will pose, with five Scotland internationals - George Horne, Jamie Bhatti, Ollie Smith, Jack Mann and Euan Ferrie - being released from the national squad for the trip to Newport.
"Glasgow attack from everywhere," Tiatia added.
"They're strong in the set-piece and they've got a really good offloading game.
"It's a little bit like the [New Zealand side] Hurricanes back in 1996-97. They attack unpredictably, which makes them dangerous. We'll need to be prepared for that."
Rio Dyer has been capped 23 times for Wales, but was left out of this year's Six Nations squad.
Dragons trio Rodrigo Martinez, Matthew Screech and Angus O'Brien will be absent this weekend because of ongoing injury concerns.
Rio Dyer could feature having been a standout performer for Dragons this season.
The wing, 25, was an omission from Wales' Six Nations squad.
"Rio is an exciting player," Tiatia said. "We're all disappointed that he missed out on the Six Nations, but we're focused on bringing the best out of him.
"He's a key player for us and he's been playing with freedom, which is great to see."