Jones’ troops entertain Simon Easterby’s side in Newport in Round 3 of the RaboDirect PRO12, with both teams having won one and lost one of their opening two fixtures.
Another tight tussle is expected at Rodney Parade on Friday and Jones knows his men will receive tremendous backing as they attempt to secure a repeat of their 15-8 win over tournament heavyweights Ulster on the opening day of the new campaign.
“You don’t make this place a fortress, it is a fortress. The supporters here are crazy, they’re mad, and long may it continue,” said Jones, who was on the other side of the fence in his previous role as head coach of the Ospreys.
“As an opposition coach, coming here was a nightmare. The supporters and I had a special relationship where they’d romantically call my name out! I’d like to think our relationship can develop even further now!
“People can say what they like about the Dragons, but what you get here on Friday night is a really good support base. It’s not nice, it’s not pleasant to come here in this environment to play rugby. The crowd really get at you and that’s what we need on Friday night again. We need that extra bit of support and extra pressure on the opposition.
“The supporters here are special. They’re different. The ground brings them right on top of the opposition. I’ve come here with some good sides in the past and they’ve cracked. Ulster didn’t crack, they stuck in there and were professional but they just weren’t good enough on the night.”
The highs of that heroic victory Ulster a fortnight ago were replaced by the bitter disappointment of defeat to Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday night as Harry Leonard kicked a last-gasp penalty to rob the Dragons of a draw.
There have been numerous similar occasions on which the Dragons could talk of ‘what might have been’ in recent seasons but Jones insists he won’t be allowing his players to feel sorry for themselves as the region look to move away from last year’s 11th-place finish.
“All I hear is the hard-luck stories from last season about the Cardiff Blues game here and the odd penalty and the odd kick. I shake my head because you either do it or you don’t do it,” added Jones.
“We are trying to change things here and develop an honest game where, if you are true to yourself, you become a good player. If we rely on cutting corners and little cheats here and there to become a good side, then we will always be in the bottom half.
“There is a tradition that we have been the fourth-best region in Wales and people are happy to cling on to that. I don’t like that. That’s for losers and if some players in my side enjoy that title, they can go.
“We have an opportunity on Friday against a motivated Scarlets side to show where we are in our development. There’s no reason why we can’t believe we can beat them.”
