CERI Sweeney will NOT be available to play for Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday night, but the Wales outside-half has been cleared to appear for the Northern Hemisphere side against their Southern Hemisphere counterparts at Twickeham less than 24 hours later.

Sweeney will join Cardiff Blues prop John Yapp, Neath/Swansea Ospreys flanker Jonathan Thomas and Llanelli Scarlets scrum-half Dwayne Peel in Sir Clive Woodward's squad for the special tsunami appeal game.

But the decisions regarding Sweeney and Yapp are sure to anger the Dragons, who face the Borders, and Cardiff Blues, who host Munster on Saturday evening.

The Blues, in particular, are desperately to gain Heineken Cup qualification and need every point they can get and their best players available.

But they will lose Yapp, though Rhys Williams became available when Woodward released him from his Northern Hemisphere squad yesterday afternoon.

Williams himself has admitted that his priorities lie with the Blues, saying: "It is between the region and the WRU. It would have be a great honour to play, but Cardiff are in a difficult position and my loyalties are to them."

It will seem to many like double-standards from the WRU who probably wouldn't have released Yapp and Sweeney for regional duty and certainly would not have released Peel and Thomas.

Sweeney said of his participation: "There are some great players involved and it is a great opportunity for me.

"It is a once in a lifetime chance to get to play with and against these players and I'm really looking forward to it as it is all for a good cause.

"I'm just in the squad but I guess players will be going on and off all the time.

"The thing for me is just to get some time on the rugby pitch. I had 20 minutes against Italy and 10 against France and I really need some game time."

Wales assistant coach Scott Johnson tried to deflect any criticism of the WRU's player release policy, saying: "We have to realise what the (tsunami) game is about .

"Sometimes compromises have to be made because it is for the greater good and what we are talking about goes far beyond sport.

"So it is for a good cause and if we can get some good out of it by giving our boys a chance to play some rugby and with players they wouldn't normally get a chance to play with, then that is a life experience and I'm all for that."

He added: "We obviously had a say in who we nominated. They wanted certain positions and we had to reach a compromise."

With Sweeney, Michael Owen, Kevin Morgan, Hal Luscombe and Gareth Cooper not being realeased, the Dragons will again be well below full strength on Friday, but Steve Jones and Ian Gough could both return.

North squad: L Dallaglio, B Cohen (England); A Rougerie, D Traille, F Pelous, R Ibanez, P de Villiers (France); B O'Driscoll (capt), P O'Connell, D Humphreys (Ireland); C Paterson, C Cusiter, G Bullock, S Taylor (Scotland); A Lo Cicero, M Bortolami, S Parisse (Italy); D Peel, C Sweeney, J Thomas, J Yapp (Wales).

South team: C Latham (Australia); R Caucaunibuca (Fiji), J Fourie (South Africa) T Umaga (New Zealand), S Bobo (Fiji); A Mehrtens (New Zealand) G Gregan (Australia, capt); T Kefu (Australia), P Waugh (Australia), S Burger (South Africa); I Rawaqa (Fiji), V Matfield (South Africa); K Visagie (South Africa), J Smit (South Africa), C Hoeft (New Zealand). Reserves: B Reihana (New Zealand), B Lima (Samoa), E Taukafa (Tonga), O Palepoi (Samoa), S Sititi (Samoa), M Rauluni (Fiji) plus one other to be announced.