NEWPORT Gwent Dragons will have their Welsh players released for their Heineken Cup game against Edinburgh at Murrayfield on October 31.

The match is being played just six days before Wales face South Africa in the first of the autumn internationals at the Millennium Stadium.

As such, the Wales management could invoke the International Board seven-day rule and pull players out of the region's Heineken Cup-ties.

But at a meeting between the management and the regions yesterday a deal was struck whereby players from the Dragons and the Ospreys who both play on the Sunday will be released.

In return the Wales management will have the use of the leading players for an extra day-and-a-half for training in the lead-up to the South Africa match.

The set dates for Welsh training are September 27-28, October 4-5 and October 11-12. The players will be with their regions for the Monday morning, then spend the next day-and-a-half with Wales.

"I won't invoke the seven-day rule and withdraw players on the Sunday, but in return the regions will give us more time with the players," said Wales coach Mike Ruddock this morning.

"Players won't be able to train with us on the Monday after the Heineken Cup game and maybe not the Tuesday and we may need to call others in so this is a very sensible compromise and it shows that everyone is working together.

"It's good news for the Dragons and the Ospreys, and it means that the conflict which has been highlighted doesn't exist.

"We'll make sure the regions get their best players on the field on the Sunday and we're grateful to the regions for giving us the extra time, too.

"We've had a great series of meetings when Andrew Hore (Wales fitness chief) outlined the strategies for improved fitness."

As for the contentious issue of top players missing the opening three Celtic League games, that has basically been abandoned in favour of the regions being sensible and not overplaying the national squad men.