DRAGONS WELCOME BACK INTERNATIONALS
Summer tourist Ian Gough will start while Ceri Sweeney and Charteris are named on the replacements bench. And there is more good news with Wales wing Hal Luscombe continuing his comeback from the knee and hamstring injuries that forced his late withdrawal from the Grand Slam decider against Ireland five months ago.
New signings Leigh Hinton, Richard Fussell and Andrew Hall all start while Richard Bryan is back after being out since November with a knee injury.
New Dragons coach Paul Turner, who arrived in the summer from Harlequins, said: “The game will act as a marker for where we are against English opposition and we will know the areas we must improve on come the Powergen Cup and Heineken Cup.”
The Dragons lost the services of Percy Montgomery to Natal Sharks, and Canada prop Rod Snow through retirement in the summer.
Dragons: L Hinton; G Wyatt, H Luscombe, J Bryant, R Fussell; C Warlow, G Baber; A Black, K Crawford, R Thomas, I Gough, P Sidoli, A Hall, R Bryan, J Forster (capt)
Replacements: G Robinson, D Maddocks, L Charteris, R Oakley, J Ringer, S Tuipulotu, B Breeze, S Winn, C Sweeney, A Thomas, A Walker
