Andrew Coombs and co have won both home games so far this season, beating last term’s table toppers Ulster in Round 1 before claiming the spoils against the Scarlets in the first Welsh derby of the campaign a week-and-a-half ago.
But Jones insists his side won’t be taking anything for granted despite the fact that Zebre were winless throughout their debut season in 2012/13.
The Italians have since got off the mark with a stunning success at the Blues in Round 3 and Jones won’t be resting his key men against what he believes is an increasingly dangerous outfit.
“We’re going to turn up on Friday night with all guns blazing and we’ll be picking our strongest team possible,2 said Jones.
“Zebre had a terrible season last year but they’ve got a different attitude this year and that’s to play. They don’t mind losing as long as they’ve been positive in the way they go about their work. They’re looking to score points all the time so they’re going to be a threat.
“Experience is wonderful thing in the RaboDirect PRO12 and their players have that in abundance.”
Jones spoke in pre-season about the need to create a winning mindset at the Dragons given a lack of sustained success in recent years and he admits that will remain a priority for the foreseeable future.
Progress appears to be being made given the nature of those wins over Ulster and the Scarlets but the former Ospreys and London Welsh boss has stressed that it’s impossible to put a time limit on that process.
“It will take as long as it takes,” added Jones.
“We’ve got players here who last season didn’t do very well. They were in the habit of losing and when you’re there you don’t mind losing and you think it’s acceptable. But it’s not to me.
“I don’t want that: I want winners. I want people to know what winning feels like and to turn up expecting to win, not thinking that losing by one or two points is acceptable or thinking ‘oh, we didn’t do too badly tonight, we only lost by four’. That’s rubbish and that’s what I’ve got to kick out of the squad.
“It takes a lot of time for people to be positive on their game and to try and go out to win it rather than not to lose it. That’s the biggest challenge because, as far as the squad is concerned, they are pretty good standard of player. Mentally I think they’re just a little bit damaged at the moment and we need to turn that around.”
