Charteris calls for a big effort in Italy

The 27-year-old will be at the heart of the Dragons’ bid to avoid becoming Aironi’s first Magners League scalp.

The Italian side are getting closer to that first win and have won bonus points in three of their last four league encounters.

Meanwhile the Dragons are looking for their first Magners League win outside of Wales since victory in Edinburgh in November 2009.

Charteris fully expects an onslaught from the Italian side’s front eight and it comes to something when a 6ft 9ins, 20 stone lock is taken aback by the dimensions of his opponents.

“Aironi are slightly different to Treviso in that they have just got a massive, massive pack,” he said. “You just look at the size of them and they are absolutely enormous.

“They play a slightly more basic game plan than most but they are pretty effective at what they do. You know what is coming and have to deal with it.

“That’s their strength and they are going to play to it, fair enough. They do have some pretty decent strike runners in the backs and they play quite deep, but the key is to cut them down first phase.

“Our discipline is going to be a massive factor, if we don’t give penalties away then we stop them kicking to the corner and getting their driving lineout going.

“It’s going to be tough and it is clear that Aironi have improved since we played them earlier in the season, you just have to look at how they went at Leinster (losing 21-16) to see that.”

Charteris did not feature in last weekend’s win against Edinburgh but has made 16 appearances so far this season, already eclipsing the previous campaign’s total of 13.

The Dragons team of physios have been working hard to help with a neck problem and the lock’s midweek is carefully managed.

“I don’t train as much as I would like to but I have played 16 games which is more than last season,” he said.

“I am doing a lot of extra rehab work and it seems to be paying off, I am managing to get through more games.”