NEWPORT Gwent Dragons fans eyeing a nice break in a mild Bordeaux may have been left cursing the Amlin Challenge Cup fixture schedule but it has been pretty kind to the region’s knockout hopes.

The Dragons have been given a nice Amlin loosener courtesy of a Rodney Parade opening clash with Mogliano, the equivalent of a full toss that should be dispatched to the boundary without any fuss.

It is the second successive season that the Italian minnows have been paired with the region.

Last year’s two games yielded ten points in the December double-header and it was only the awful conditions that kept the Dragons’ try count to just 13 in 160 minutes.

The Dragons, Bath and Bordeaux-Begles will all secure maximum points against Mogliano, which leaves little margin for error.

The region was left chasing its tail from the off in 2012/13 after losing to Wasps in round one and crucially failing to earn a losing bonus point while the hosts grabbed one for scoring four tries.

When Bayonne travelled to Rodney Parade the following weekend it was pretty much all over, the Dragons falling to a narrow loss when they deserved a win.

This time the key clash comes in round two with the Dragons making the short trip to the Rec to take on Bath on Saturday, October 18.

The Aviva Premiership outfit are the Pool Two favourites after qualifying for last season’s quarter-finals as top seeds after winning all six of their games.

It’s game on if the Dragons head back over the Severn Bridge with anything to show for their efforts, while even a 4-0 points tally would give hope ahead of Bordeaux.

And that December double-header has fallen kindly for the region with the Frenchmen, who have former England and Lions flanker Joe Worsley on their coaching team, travelling first.

That game is six days after Wales play Australia at the end of a month of autumn Test rugby.

Thankfully key man Toby Faletau, and potentially Andrew Coombs, won’t have to hop straight on a plane for a Thursday fixture in France.

It also presents the opportunity to break the spirit of Bordeaux – who didn’t take the competition seriously when losing all six games last season – before the return fixture.

If the Top 14 outfit have already lost to Bath then the white flag could be up before round four, presenting the Dragons with a great chance of recording a notable win in France.

A Thursday in December won’t please fans that fancy a trip to the south west of France – the average temperature is 14.2 in October while it is 7.3 in the last month of the year. But it would certainly warm the cockles if the Dragons are still alive when Bath, who will be at Rodney Parade for a pre-season fixture on Friday, August 23, return to Newport in January.

Dragons Amlin Challenge Cup fixtures

-Friday, October 11: Mogliano (home) 7.15pm (Bordeaux-Begles v Bath)

-Saturday, October 18: Bath (away) 3pm (Mogliano v Bordeaux-Begles)

-Friday, December 6: Bordeaux-Begles (home) 7.15pm (Mogliano v Bath)

-Thursday, December 12: Bordeaux-Begles (away) 7.30pm (Bath v Mogliano)

-January 9/10/11/12: Bath (home) (Bordeaux-Begles v Mogliano)

-January 16/17/18/19: Mogliano (away) (Bath v Bordeaux-Begles)