HAL Luscombe and Steve Jones will both be fit for Newport Gwent Dragons for Friday night's crucial must-win Celtic League game against Glasgow at Rodney Parade.

But the Dragons are waiting for the results of a scan on outside half Craig Warlow's shoulder after he left the field near the end of the game against Cardiff Blues last Wednesday.

Luscombe missed the three league games against Connacht, the Blues and Llanelli Scarlets with a chest injury, the Dragons losing the lot in the space of a week, while Jones couldn't play in the Blues and Scarlets fixtures after injuring a shoulder.

But both have recovered, their return a timely boost as the Dragons seek to get back on track after those defeats which almost certainly put them out of the running for automatic qualification for the Heineken Cup next season.

Glasgow are their closest rivals as the bid steps up to secure the final Heineken qualifying place via a play-off against the third-placed Italian team.

The Dragons are in pole position for that, four points ahead of Glasgow and five in front of Connacht with their second four points to come for a free weekend at the beginning of May whereas their Scottish and Irish rivals have had both theirs.

Victory on Friday and their four points the following weekend would, therefore, put them 12 points ahead of Glasgow and also in front of Borders.

It is not inconceivable that if the Dragons win their final three games against Scottish teams Glasgow, Edinburgh and Borders that they could even challenge the Ospreys to be third Welsh team and even edge that automatic qualifying spot.

The Ospreys face a harder run-in than the Dragons and have a tricky game against Leinster in Dublin this weekend.

If the Dragons get beaten by Glasgow on Friday, though, it would put even their place in the play-off in jeopardy.

The Ospreys are believed to be close to a major signing and are said to be in advanced negotiations with former All Blacks scrum half ace Justin Marshall, released by Leeds after being relegated from the Guinness Premiership.

The Ospreys want the 81-times capped Marshall despite Leeds asking for a transfer fee, believed to be around £75,000 for the second season of his contract with them.

If it comes off the signing would be almost as big as Cardiff Blues' capture of Jonah Lomu and would be up there with Gary Teichmann joining Newport six years ago, the kind of deal sadly no longer possible at Rodney Parade.