WALES prop Leon Brown and influential flanker Harri Keddie will bolster the Dragons pack for Sunday’s United Rugby Championship clash with the Lions in Newport (kick-off 2.30pm).

Head coach Dai Flanagan has made four changes to the XV from last weekend’s last-gasp 33-30 defeat to the Sharks.

Tighthead Brown was forced to withdraw from that game due to illness but returns to the front row along with Argentina loosehead Rodrigo Martinez.

Influential back row forward Keddie sat out the Sharks game because of a back spasm but slots in at openside with Taine Basham, man of the match last weekend, switching to number eight.

DYNAMIC: Taine Basham impressed for the Dragons against the SharksDYNAMIC: Taine Basham impressed for the Dragons against the Sharks (Image: Gareth Everett)

They join forces with Shane Lewis-Hughes in a back row that will have fluid roles, with Ryan Woodman and Dan Lydiate ready to add impact from the bench.

Blindside Lewis-Hughes will be the cover at lock after predominantly featuring there for Cardiff last season.

The final change is in midfield with Joe Westwood coming in for Harry Wilson after the Australian made some costly defensive slips.

Ospreys prop Cameron Jones is on the bench after signing on loan because of injuries to Rhodri Jones (knee) and Josh Reynolds (leg).

Ewan Rosser, who produced a strong display at full-back at Leinster, is recalled as a replacement to cover the back three.

The Lions make just one change to their XV that dismantled Edinburgh in Johannesburg, when they were 48-0 up at half-time before clocking off and 'only' winning 55-21.

Nico Steyn gets the nod at fly-half in place of Kade Wolhunter as the South African side hunt a third straight win to start the season.

The Lions have beaten the Dragons four times since heading to Europe in 2021 with a solitary draw at Ellis Park in the Challenge Cup in December 2022.

Dragons: O’Brien, Dyer, Westwood, Owen, JRosser, L Evans, R Williams; Martinez, Coghlan, Brown, Carter (captain), Screech, Lewis-Hughes, Keddie, Basham.

Replacements: Burrows, C Jones, Coleman, Woodman, Lydiate, Blacker, Reed, E Rosser.

Lions: Q Horn, Maxwane, Cronje, Jonker, Van der Merwe, Steyn, Van den Berg; J Schoeman, Marais, Ntlabakanye, Nothnagel, Landsberg, Pretorius, Cairns, F Horn (captain).

Replacements: Botha, Pohlmann, Van Vuuren, R Schoeman, Du Plessis, Nohamba, Louw, Van Wyk.

Dragons unavailable (17): Ackerman (leg), Arhip (knee), Andrew (hamstring), Benjamin (knock), Cummins (hand), Dee (ankle), C Evans (hamstring), Funaki (knee), Griffiths (unavailable), Hewitt (knee), Hope (ankle), R Jones (knee), Kelleher-Griffiths (ankle), Nott (shoulder), Reynolds (leg), Wainwright (hamstring), J Williams (ankle).