Preview: Dragons v Gloucester
January 22 2010
Gloucester Rugby make just one injury enforced change to the side that defeated Biarritz last weekend as they head for Newport and the Dragons.
While a quarter-final place is out of the question, a win could see Gloucester take a place in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Chalenge Cup.
Alasdair Strokosch is the man to miss out. The Scottish international was forced out of the action early against the French side with an ankle injury and hasn't recovered sufficiently to take his place in the side.
Replacing him on the blindside is England international Luke Narraway who has been chomping at the bit since his return from back surgery having been restricted to just the one start.
Peter Buxton, who will be returning to a Rodney Parade that he knows very well, replaces Narraway on the bench.
The only other change to the matchday squad sees Olivier Azam named amongst the replacements instead of Darren Dawidiuk.
"It's a massive game for us as we have to get a win and then push for a bonus point. Momentum is huge for any team and we've put a couple of performances together recently," said Head Coach Bryan Redpath.
"But we won't disrespect the Dragons. They came up here and performed very well. It's a Wales v England situation and they'd love to have a dabble at us.
"Our players need to be very clear and focussed about what this challenge is. It's not going to be easy.
"An English scalp will be incentive enough for them. They've nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Meanwhile, Dragons scrum-half Wayne Evans has recovered from a knee injury to take up a spot in the starting line-up.
Prop Ben Castle and centre Ashley Smith also return, but only on the bench. Whilst back row Danny Lydiate and lock Luke Charteris also start for their last regional outing before joining the Welsh squad next week.
Following the moved game against Biarritz before Christmas, the Dragons have invited all supporters who attended the re-arranged match at Parc y Scarlets to enjoy the Gloucester match for free as a thank you for their exceptional support under difficult circumstances. Ticket holders simply need to present their ticket stubs from the match to the ticket office before Sunday or contact the ticket office on 01633 674 990.
More to follow...
The Dragons: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Aled Brew, 13 Rhodri Gomer Davies , 12 Tom Riley, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 James Arlidge, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Lewis Evans, 7 James Harris, 6 Danny Lydiate, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Hoani Macdonald, 3 Gethin Robinson, 2 Tom Willis (capt), 1 Hugh Gustafson.
Replacements: 16 Steve Jones, 17 Ali McKenzie, 18 Ben Castle, 19 Gavin Thomas, 20 James Leadbeater, 21 Ashley Smith, 22 Jason Tovey.
Gloucester: 15 Olly Morgan, 14 James Simpson-Daniel, 13 Tim Molenaar, 12 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Nicky Robinson, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 Gareth Delve (c), 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Luke Narraway, 5 Alex Brown, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Olivier Azam, 17 Nick Wood, 18 Pierre Capdevielle, 19 Adam Eustace, 20 Peter Buxton, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Tom Voyce.
Date: Sunday, January 24
Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 12.45 GMT
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees: Eric Gauzins (France), Jean-Luc Rebollal (France).