CONNACHT return to Wales on Friday as a team on a mission - to win at Rodney Parade for the first time. They have been edged out on their previous two visits, Newport Gwent Dragons winning 28-19 two years ago and 24-19 last season.

Now they're out to make it third time lucky with Matt Mostyn, the former Newport winger, still in their ranks, though a Connacht regular at full back these days.

"Every time I come back I enjoy it, though it's my third time now and the people there are becoming less and less familiar," he said from his new home just outside Galway.

"It's a great ground and crowd and I've said to the boys at training that we haven't turned them over yet at Rodney Parade."

Mostyn accepts that Connacht are in a false position at the foot of the Celtic League table, and after going close to beating the Ospreys in the Liberty Stadium and Llanelli Scarlets in Wrexham they need that win on Welsh soil.

"It's hugely disappointing to be in the position we are in the table," he said. "But we will see a team close to us (Dragons are just two places higher) as motivation, though the Dragons would expect to turn us over at home.

"We've had one of those seasons when we've played well then something has let us down. We were drawing 14-14 against Munster with 20 minutes to go, for example, then lost 36-17.

"But we did turn it around against Ulster last week (Connacht won 22-12). The talent is there, but it's typical Connacht, a backs-to-the-wall effort.

"We're still taking this game as every other one, that if we play to our potential we can beat anyone. The Celtic League seems so close that if a team clicks they can win any game, it applies to us and the Dragons.

"The forwards were outstanding against Ulster and the backs are coming together. Youngsters Keith Matthews and John Hardy are doing well and we've got two New Zealanders in the centre with Andrew Mailie and Gavin Williams, who is the son of Bryan Williams (the former New Zealand wing great).

"We haven't won at Rodney Parade yet, but it's been close and it would be great if our luck were to change there."

The Dragons have named a 24-man squad, with flanker Jamie Ringer back in contention after being out with a sprained ankle, though lock Luke Charteris won't make it because of his shoulder injury.

Chris Davies, who made his debut against Cardiff Blues, injured a knee playing for Newport against Ebbw Vale on Monday and is out, though Rhys Oakley returns to the squad. The only change in the actual team could be Craig Warlow starting at outside half.

The Dragons can make up ground on some of their rivals in the table because Glasgow on 26 points, nine more than the Dragons, have got eight points for two blank weekends compared with the Dragons' four with Borders just one point further ahead, so the gap is not as wide as appears.

Dragons squad: S Tuipulotu, G Chapman, H Luscombe, J Bryant, B Breeze, R Fussell, C Sweeney, C Warlow, G Cooper, G Baber, A Black, D Maddocks, S Jones, A Brown, R Thomas, G Robinson, I Gough, P Sidoli, B Griffiths, A Hall, R Oakley, J Ringer, J Forster, M Owen. Kick off 7.10pm.