Newport Gwent Dragons Head Coach Paul Turner has named a 25-man squad for the region’s Heineken Cup match against Biarritz Olympique on Sunday (KO 12:45pm).
The region are boosted by the return of Tom Willis and Joe Bearman whilst Steve Jones and Rob Sidoli are both rested.
“It’s a boost for us to have Tom and Joe back,” said Head Coach Paul Turner. “Leaving Steve and Rob behind is about managing the squad. We have a very short turnaround between the two Heineken Cup rounds and we need to be able to best manage that.
“We are well aware of what Biarritz can offer. They’ve got spark and pace on the wing and Damien Traille remains one of the best centres in the world. We have a good group of players here but we’re going to be under the pump in France. We have to resist that pressure which is something we’ve got pretty good at.
Newport Gwent Dragons:
Backs: Aled Brew, Alex Walker, James Arlidge, Jason Tovey, Martyn Thomas, Matthew Watkins, Rhodri Gomer Davies, Richard Fussell, Tom Riley, Wayne Evans, Will Harries.
Forwards: Adam Jones, Ali McKenzie, Dan Lydiate, Duane Goodfield, Gavin Thomas, Gethin Robinson, Grant Webb, Hoani MacDonald, Hugh Gustafson, Joe Bearman, Lewis Evans, Luke Charteris, Peter Bracken, Tom Willis