NEWPORT Gwent Dragons have received a boost to their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup from an unlikely source - the opposition.

Edinburgh coach Frank Hadden goes so far as to say that the Dragons are a better team than Newcastle, who lead the table by seven points with 17, ahead of Perpignan and the Dragons, both on 10 but with the French aces ahead on scores between the pair. And Hadden knows a bit about the Dragons, having brought his Edinburgh team to Rodney Parade in mid-November where they became the first Celtic League winners at the ground this season.

He returns on Saturday, the Scots this time rooted to the bottom of their Heineken Group Five table with just two points from their four games and with no chance of going further in the competition. "The Dragons are a better team than Newcastle, they were very unfortunate in the first game when the weather made it a lottery and the Dragons were on the wrong end of the result," said Hadden (they were pipped 10-6 on October 23).

"I think they recruited fantastically from the Celtic Warriors and from the decent side they were last year they have been enhanced.

"The thing I admire most about them is that they have gone through the season more or less unchanged," he added ruefully as his team are still without long term injury victims Chris Paterson, Tom Philip, Simon Webster, Nathan Hines and Simon Taylor as well as Joel Brannigan and Simon Cross.

Webster, ironically, was injured in the game they won at Rodney Parade, needing a knee operation.

But Scotland and British Lions lock Scott Murray is back in action now after missing for a couple of months.

Hadden denies that because Edinburgh can't make the last eight of the Heineken Cup they won't offer much resistance.

"There is still a lot of pride at stake and reputations which can be enhanced," he said. "We are preparing as we would for any other game, we're getting ready for a big test," he said.

"The Dragons have built up a big reputation, but it will all depend on the conditions and how they defend. Their defence is very good, everyone's has to be these days, they're all stronger."

Edinburgh's most recent game resulted in a bad 19-10 defeat against Scottish rivals Borders last Friday, Borders bottom of the table but recording only their second victory of the season.

"It was very disappointing," admitted Hadden. "But we had to play Monday (they beat other Scottish rivals Glasgow 18-12) and Friday.

"If we'd had a decent squad available we could have rotated and rested players, but the conditions were difficult and we had two games in such close proximity."

Hadden remains non-committal about Edinburgh's chances of pulling off another shock at Rodney Parade. "We'll find out on Saturday," he said.

Because Newport's game against Cardiff in the Premier Division on Saturday has been postponed the old players' reunion has been called off.