MEDICAL staffs have been urged by experienced Newport Gwent Dragons scrum half Gareth Baber to do something about the current spate of groin injuries which are making a series of players doubtful for Wales for the November internationals against the three Southern Hemisphere superpowers and Fiji.

Gavin Henson is the highest profile victim and only last week flew to Germany to consult a top specialist, who immediately operated.

Back row forward Dafydd Jones, wing Shane Williams and Baber's Dragons teammates Ceri Sweeney and Nathan Brew are also all out of action because of groin problems.

And Baber played through most of last season with a problem which forced him to rest for most of the summer when he missed a lot of training.

"Medical staffs need to get their heads together and try to do something about it," he said. "It is quite worrying for so many players to suffer and something needs to be done.

"It might be caused by the level of training we do, the style of training which has an impact now, it might be the equipment or the surfaces, I'm not sure why.

"I had it for most of last season. The problem is you strain other areas which compensates for the tear or whatever, making it difficult to repair the initial damage.

"It's all about stress on the pelvic and groin area and we continually train and play which means we never rest long enough. I'm still having regular treatment, it's a matter of managing it."

Baber isn't getting that chance to rest, however, because rivals Gareth Cooper (ankle) and James Ireland (knee) are also on the sidelines, though Wales Under-21 cap Ireland is nearly ready to return.

Baber is one of the players retained for the Dragons' tough Celtic League game against Leinster at Donnybrook tomorrow night.

But he refuses to look at any away game whether in Ireland, Wales or Scotland or in the Heineken Cup as being anything other than run-of-the-mill.

"It is a difficult place to play against Leinster, but as a group we want to go there and not be daunted by it," he said.

"It comes from looking at yourselves as a group, it's another green strip, it's another pitch, you have to take away the things you can't control.

"We've got our share of internationals too and we mustn't look at individual teams like Leinster, for then you start to lose the battle.

"I'm very happy here, I'm enjoying the environment and it's a good place to be. We're just setting out on a trip with a new management and group of players, there's good senior players and youngsters like James Ireland and Alix Walker.

"With Gareth Cooper as well you want all four players to be pushing for the position and then you are going a long way towards being a successful squad."

The Dragons show seven changes, one positional, for Leinster from the team who lost against the Ospreys as the squad is utilised with two games in three days, with seven more ruled out.

Utility back Leigh Hinton and prop David Maddocks make their first league start after joining from Bedford and Llanelli Scarlets respectively in the summer.

Hinton becomes the third player in as many league games to appear on the left wing following Richard Fussell, out for six weeks with a damaged shoulder, and Ben Breeze.

Sione Tuipulotu makes his first start of the season at inside centre, Maddocks coming in for Adam Black alongside Steve Jones, who has been out with a damaged knee and solves a hooker crisis. Andrew Brown, the Newport and former Cross Keys hooker, is on the bench.

It's all change in the back row where Jamie Ringer moves across to open side, with skipper Jason Forster rested, Rhys Oakley at number eight for Richard Bryan and Andrew Hall at blindside for Ringer.

In the absence of Forster, who is on the bench, the Dragons will be captained for the first time by full back Kevin Morgan, another string to his bow after a magnificent comeback last season from serious injury which saw him recalled in triumph to Wales' Grand Slam winning team.

Leinster are without their British Lions, though Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie are on the bench.

Dragons: K Morgan (captain), G Wyatt, H Luscombe, S Tuipulotu, L Hinton, C Warlow, G Baber, D Maddocks, S Jones, R Thomas, I Gough, L Charteris, A Hall, R Oakley, J Ringer. Replacements: A Thomas, J Bryant, A Black, A Brown, G Robinson, R Bryan, J Forster.

Leinster: G Dempsey, G Brown, K Lewis, F Contepomi (captain), R Kearney, C Warner, G Easterby, R Corrigan, B Jackman, W Green, A Byrnes, B Gissing, C Potts, J Heaslip, K Gleeson. Replacements: D Hickie, S Horgan, B O' Meara, R McCormack, D Blaney, S Crawford, N Ronan.

Kick-off 7.10pm.

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