WALES lock Luke Charteris is a major fitness concern for Newport Gwent Dragons in their next Magners League match against Edinburgh at Rodney Parade a week on Sunday.
Charteris missed the second half of Sunday’s game against Glasgow at Firhill with a neck injury and he could barely move it on arriving back at Bristol Airport later that night.
Coach Paul Turner admits he is worried about their one current international for they are already without fellow lock Adam Jones with a damaged tendon in his hand which will rule him out for the final three matches.
Hoani MacDonald has been disappointing in recent appearances and Turner could well bring big young lock Adam Brown, who has been playing for Newport, into the squad to prepare for the Edinburgh fixture.
Top ball carrier Dan Lydiate has already been told he will miss the rest of the season while Aled Brew, another key player, could suffer a similar fate.
There is a chance No 8s Joe Bearman, a long term absentee, and Lewis Evans could be available for the Edinburgh game while leading centre Ashley Smith is expected to return.
If the Dragons maintain their recent home form and beat the Scots they will just about clinch their Heineken Cup place next season ahead of the Scarlets who realistically need to win their three remaining fixtures with a bonus point each time if they are to overhaul their rivals.
Dragons centre Rhodri Gomer-Davies, a second half replacement for Matthew Watkins against Glasgow, believes they should still be targeting a place in the play-offs rather than worrying about securing a Heineken Cup spot.
“It was an incredibly disappointing result,” he admitted after the Glasgow game. “It was a similar story the last time we played them when we were off in the first five or ten minutes and we vowed it wouldn’t happen again.
“We didn’t react and our biggest problem was at the breakdown where we were up against a very experienced back row and we came off second best.
“But we go into every game expecting to win, we’ve won two difficult home games (against Munster and the Ospreys) which were two big scalps and with another result against Glasgow we would have been there or thereabouts for the play-offs. We are coming away from home and not performing, but we are still there despite losing which is a sign of a team developing.
“Glasgow are one of the top teams in the Magners League with some very experienced players, yet we almost sneaked a bonus point when not playing anywhere near our capability which again shows how we are developing.
“We did have experienced players missing and Luke went off at half-time. It does hurt us when they are not there, but it has given an opportunity to Toby Faletau who is a dynamic ball carrier with good skills and Andrew Coombs as well – that’s the way you’ve got to look at it.”
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