THE Dragons' Wales trio of Aaron Wainwright, Rio Dyer and Rhodri Williams all return into the XV for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship derby at Cardiff – but boss Filo Tiatia has been hit by a triple injury blow.
The Rodney Parade club will attempt to end a 17-game losing streak against their nearest rivals when they head to the capital this weekend (kick-off 5.15pm).
Wing Dyer and scrum-half Williams were in action next door at Principality Stadium last weekend against South Africa and go straight back into club duty along with Wainwright, who sat out the Springboks defeat after starting against Fiji and Australia.
The trio boost the Dragons’ bid for an upset but hopes have been hit after tighthead Leon Brown, lock Steve Cummins and back rower Harri Keddie – three likely starters – were ruled out by injuries described as 'knocks'.
Brown’s absence means a start for Chris Coleman with Dmitri Arhip poised for a first outing of the season against his former club after a knee injury.
The Dragons still boast a strong back row with the international trio of Shane Lewis-Hughes, Taine Basham and Wainwright backed up by rising star Ryan Woodman.
Lewis-Hughes returns to the Arms Park on the back of a strong first block of the season after benefiting from a change of scene.
Cummins, whose start to life at the club was hit by a hand issue, had hoped to get the nod as the starter after the loss of captain Ben Carter until February due to a knee injury suffered on Wales duty that needed surgery.
However, the Australian second rower is on the sidelines again and it’s fit-again George Nott who is partnered with Matthew Screech.
Joe Davies, fresh from captaining the development team to wins against the Scarlets and Ospreys, could make his first outing of the campaign from the bench.
Angus O’Brien captains the Dragons for the first time and starts at full-back, with Lloyd Evans getting the nod at 10.
Interim head coach Tiatia, calling the shots for the first time after the departure of Dai Flanagan, gives an opportunity to a pair of bright prospects as replacements.
Scrum-half Morgan Lloyd and full-back Huw Anderson are rewarded for bright showings for Pontypool in Super Rygbi Cymru and for the A team.
The duo, who made their professional debuts last season, featured in pre-season but not in the first block of the URC.
The Dragons haven't beaten Cardiff since the 2015 Challenge Cup quarter-final while their last (and only their second) success at the Arms Park was Boxing Day, 2014.
Last season they were humiliated 55-21 in the capital when the hosts ran in seven of their nine tries in the first half, although there are just 11 survivors in the matchday 23 from that embarrassment.
Dragons: Angus O’Brien (captain); Rio Dyer, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen, Jared Rosser; Lloyd Evans, Rhodri Williams; Rodrigo Martinez, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Matthew Screech, George Nott, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: James Benjamin, Aki Seiuli, Dmitri Arhip, Joe Davies, Ryan Woodman, Morgan Lloyd, Harry Wilson, Huw Anderson.
Unavailable (11): Leon Brown (knock), Ben Carter (knee), Steve Cummins (knock), Elliot Dee (ankle), Solomone Funaki (knee), Ollie Griffiths (unavailable), Rhodri Jones (knee), Harri Keddie (knock), Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths (ankle), George Young (knee), Jordan Williams (hip)
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