Calvisano travel to Rodney Parade
Calvisano will be hoping to emulate Overmach Parma on Friday when they travel to Newport to play the Dragons in a one-off play-off for the final Heineken Cup spot next season.
The Italians, who are led by Italian international scrum-half Paul Griffen and have several Azzurri in their ranks, lost in the Italian Super 10 semi-finals to Viadana at the weekend, but make it through as third seeds from Italy behind Super 10 winners Treviso and Viadana.
The Dragons, who were the best-placed non-automatic qualifiers from the Magners League, crumbled 15-24 at home to Overmach Parma in the play-off last year (quickly signing Parma’s crucial try-scorer Paul Emerick shortly after).
The losers will take part in the European Challenge Cup.
“It’s going to be a huge game and we’ll be doing our homework on them this week,” said Dragons coach Paul Turner to the South wales Argus.
“They were in the same Heineken Cup group as the Ospreys this season who struggled against them at home (the Magners League winners triumphed 26-9).
“They’ve got a lot of good players right through their side and we’ll have to be on our mettle.”
The Dragons have also made another signing for next season: scrum half Wayne Evans, a Wales U21 cap who has joined from Cardiff Blues.
Evans, 23 next month, will replace Gareth Baber, who is retiring from playing and taking up a coaching position with the Blues Academy.
Andy Williams also joins the Dragons this summer from Bath as replacement for Gareth Cooper, who is heading for Gloucester.
