NEWPORT Gwent Dragons cannot afford to get loose when Edinburgh head to Rodney Parade tomorrow afternoon, according to skipper Tom Willis.

The 31-year-old hooker has demanded that his charges stick to their script rather than get lured into a shoot-out against the Scottish side.

The Dragons produced a high-octane performance in last season’s corresponding fixture, crossing for seven tries in a 49-28 victory.

The hosts boast strike runners Will Harries, Adam Hughes and Aled Brew in their starting line-up tomorrow but Willis has stressed the need for discipline.

“Edinburgh are typically pretty liberal with the ball and use the whole width of the pitch,” said the New Zealander.

“They play at tempo and use the ball a lot. I expect it to be a high-paced game and it is important that we don’t get drawn into a festival attitude.

“It is important that we stick to our own game plan, which is to hold on to the ball, maintain our shape and be direct and confrontational.”

Willis described the Six Nations period as a “window of opportunity” for the Dragons when they are up against sides that are hit hard by international call-ups.

This weekend’s visitors – who have not played since losing to the Blues on January 22 – have lost several key figures to Scotland duty.

Centre Nick De Luca, prop Allan Jacobsen, hooker Ross Ford, flanker Ross Rennie, scrum-half Mike Blair will all be locking horns with Wales.

Dragons coach Darren Edwards, however, has urged caution and pointed to their own recent success when a number of fringe players impressed in the LV Cup wins against Sale and the Scarlets.

He said: “The games in these periods can be the most difficult because squad players can step up to the mark, as ours have in the last two weeks.

“Edinburgh’s Scotland players are big for them but I am wary of them in a similar way to how I viewed the Scarlets.

“Whenever they put in a young team they are a tough nut to crack because they have plenty of energy and are hard to break down.

“Their philosophy of play stays the same. In terms of their defensive and attacking patterns we know what to expect.

“We have to get a win because it is a home game before three on the road (against Aironi, Glasgow and Munster).”