THE Dragons will be without scrum-half Rhodri Williams at the Scarlets on New Year's Day but they won't gamble by rushing back Argentina international Gonzalo Bertranou to fill the void.

Williams suffered a blow to the head in the closing stages of the 29-24 defeat to Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship on Boxing Day.

The 29-year-old has passed stage three of the return to play protocols but the six-day turnaround means he cannot feature in Llanelli, with next Friday’s home encounter with the Bulls his target.

Bertanou has returned to training after suffering knee ligament damage playing for the Pumas in the autumn but is unlikely to be risked this weekend.

South Wales Argus: CLOSE: Gonzalo Bertranou is back training with the DragonsCLOSE: Gonzalo Bertranou is back training with the Dragons (Image: PA)

“Gonzalo is touch and go but it's his first training week so that probably gives the answer [to whether he will play],” said head coach Dai Flanagan.

That leaves Lewis Jones, who has made four starts in 13 appearances since arriving from Cardiff in the summer of 2021, and novice Che Hope as the options at nine.

The 19-year-old academy prospect scored a try when making his debut off the bench against the Lions at Ellis Park in November.

“South Africa was very useful for Che, he is a great kid and there is a good edge to him,” said Flanagan.

“There are areas that he needs to improve on and he is quite slight, so we have to make sure he has the durability to play at pro level for many years to come.

“But when he is on the field he doesn’t lack for ambition or edge, he has taken it all in his stride.”

Both the Dragons and the Scarlets have six-day turnarounds from Boxing Day defeats to Cardiff and the Ospreys respectively.

Flanagan and his coaches will make their selection calls at midday tomorrow but the boss has pledged that he won’t make sweeping changes.

“There won't be too much rotation, it's derby week so the boys are in great spirits,” said the head coach. “There are a couple of niggles and late decisions to make but continuity will be big for us.

“We will be giving the boys an opportunity to correct some of the wrongs, then we will see where we are at for the five-day turnaround to the Bulls.”

Wales flanker Taine Basham was on the field to help in the pre-match preparations against Cardiff and is pushing hard for a return after being out since mid-October because of a dislocated elbow.

“Taine is back in the selection mix but it's important that we don't rush players back,” said Flanagan. “Sometimes players are fit but they are not rugby-fit.”