Dragons v Newcastle - teams and prediction
FRIDAY PREVIEW: Boss Filo Tiatia wants his Dragons to ‘front up’ and grasp the opportunity when they face Newcastle Red Bulls in a must-win EPCR Challenge Cup clash at Rodney Parade on Friday night.
Victory in the final pool game would take the Men of Gwent temporarily above both Perpignan and Lions, who meet in France on Saturday.
That means it is now a win-or-bust showdown against Newcastle, who are targeting home advantage in the next round, having won all three pool games.
And head coach Tiatia wants his side to embrace the challenge and produce in front of the Rodney Parade faithful.
“We want to make the last 16 and we know when we’re at home we need to front up for the fans – all the players wearing the jersey all know the expectations,” he stated.
“We need to do justice to the jersey and then try and wear it for another week. That is earned, not given.
“I can’t wait for the players to get amongst it. After the disappointment against Benetton, it’s good to get back on the horse and get stuck in.
“We love playing at home. But it’s only an advantage if we turn up,” added.
“We’re excited get back and our fans are awesome and great supporters of the team.
“We have lots to prove from last week, in terms of where we can get to, and we can’t be defined by one performance.
“We’ve made some good shifts over the last six weeks, and we can only put it right with a clear identity and how we play this Friday.”
Tiatia has made multiple changes for the crunch Round 4 encounter that the Men of Gwent must emerge victorious from in the club’s bid for knockout rugby.
Jones and Coghlan join forces with tighthead Robert Hunt in a new-look front row while co-captain Ben Carter returns in the second row.
Number Eight Aaron Wainwright is back for the game on home soil, where there are also recalls in the back row for Harri Keddie and Thomas Young on the flanks.
Scrumhalf Che Hope is paired with Tinus de Beer at half back, while the centre partnership of Fine Inisi and Aneurin Owen is restored. David Richards moves to the wing.
The final change comes at fullback where co-captain Angus O’Brien plays.
Hooker George Roberts, centre Harri Ackerman and utility back Cai Evans are named among the replacements.
Tiatia said: “It’ll be a tough game. We’re under no illusion of just where they’re at. We’ve had a good look at them and Newcastle are a good side.
“They beat Gloucester, and I watched then game against Perpignan last weekend. They have a good maul and love to maul for penalties and territory.
“I love the way they attack. They launch from deep, are not afraid to play, and they have some exciting backs to go with a hard-working forward pack. We are looking forward to it and know what is coming.”
Newcastle having already secured a home tie in the round of 16 after defeating Lyon, Lions and Perpignan.
But the stakes are still high for the club as they aim to cement a seeding which would give them home advantage should they go even further in the competition, and they are boosted by the return of a pair of forwards.
Freddie Lockwood comes back into the side at No.8 having recovered from a broken bone in his hand, with lock Jamie Hodgson returning from his one-game suspension.
The only other change from last week’s 26-19 triumph over Perpignan comes in the backs where Oli Spencer misses out with a head knock sustained during the second half – Cameron Hutchison coming in at centre as Alex Hearle pushes out to the wing.
Senior assistant coach Stephen Jones highlighted the importance of Friday’s fixture as the Welsh great prepares to return to his homeland, saying: “This is a massive game for us.
“The fact that we already have a home tie in the round of 16 is irrelevant, because we know that home advantage in the later rounds is huge if we are able to go deeper into the competition. Securing a higher seeding from the group stage gives us the best possible chance of achieving that, but it’s also about maintaining our momentum.
“The Challenge Cup has been a great driver for us and I see it as a really important tournament, so we’re fully committed to it.”
Having won four of their last six games in all competitions, Jones said: “I’m happy with our work rate, our intention to play and the opportunities we’re creating. The next stage for us is to be more clinical, and that’s the exciting part for me because there is so much more growth to come from this group.
“The boys are working hard day in, day out, to improve their game, and they’re very open-minded. We’re starting to see things from training being transferred into our match-day performance, and not only that, we’re also starting to do it for longer in games. Rather than a good 15 minutes we’re starting to produce a good hour like we did against Gloucester, and I thought last weekend against Perpignan was the closest I’ve seen to an 80-minute performance since I got here.
“So there’s definite progress being made, but it’s only progress if we back it up week after week. That’s why Friday’s game down in Newport is so important.”
Predictions:
Rugby365: Newcastle by five points
Teams:
Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien, 14 David Richards, 13 Fine Inisi, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Che Hope, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Harri Keddie, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Ryan Woodman, 3 Robert Hunt, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 George Roberts, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Cebo Dlamini, 19 Levi Douglas, 20 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Harri Ackerman, 23 Cai Evans
Newcastle: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Alex Hearle, 10 Ethan Grayson, 9 Simon Benitez Cruz, 8 Freddie Lockwood, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Tom Gordon, 5 Jamoe Hodgons, 4 Oscar Usher, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 1 Murray McCallum
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Reuben Parsons, 21 James Elliott, 22 Rhys Beeckmans, 23 Nathan Greenwood.
Date: Friday, January 16
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport
Kick-off: 20.00 (20.00 GMT)
Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa) & Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
