Saturday’s return game against the English Championship high flyers is a must win game for the Welsh side if they are to stay on course to reach the last eight. Five Pool winners and the three best runners-up go through and the Dragons are the only Welsh side to win a game to date.
A losing bonus-point against the Knights in last weekend’s 21-16 in Yorkshire kept them in touch at the top of Pool 5 and Chapron doesn’t want to leave anything to luck with home advantage this weekend.
“Looking at all the groups, we are in a strong position, but we won’t be happy to qualify through the group coming second. That’s not something we want to do,” the Dragons academy manager, Chapron, told the South Wales Argus..
“If we can win it puts us in a really good position for the group – if we don’t then we have to win our games against Jersey and Connacht. We had bad weather in Connacht, bad weather in the lead-up to Jersey and bad weather in Doncaster, so we haven’t been able to throw the ball around as much as we’d have liked.
“Last week we were more disappointed with what we weren’t able to do as opposed to the result. We talked about how they drive and how they play for penalties from the scrum.
“They did all that and we let them, which was frustrating. But it does give us encouragement for this week that they didn’t roll us over and, if we can tighten up certain areas, we are confident.”
There will be no Nick Cudd, Charlie Davies or Geraint Rhys Jones for this weekend, but Wales Sevens star James Benjamin will return to back row duty and Angus O’Brien and Luc Jones will be able to team up at half-back again.
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Richard Fussell will once again lead the Ospreys Premiership Select XV when they host Munster A at the Bridgend Ford Brewery Field on Sunday (kick-off 3.00pm). The Ospreys have lost all three games to date, but hope to turn things around in round four.
Head Coach, Dan Griffiths, said: “We’ve reached the half way point and it has been a pretty steep learning curve for us as coaches as well as for the players. The boys have really put their all into training and we’ve had some really good periods of play.
“In last week’s game against Munster we played some really good rugby in the first half. We were matching them play for play and had an opportunity to go into half time in the lead.
“We managed to get an early second half try to keep us in the game, but it was just in the final quarter that we dropped off a little and allowed them to take control of the game. They scored two tries and ultimately we ended up with a big score line.
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“I think all the boys are really looking forward to facing them again on Sunday. Now we know more about their style of play we have been able to really analyse that this week and work on our own game to improve from the away fixture.
“It’ll be great to be at the Brewery Field, somewhere that is very much a home ground for a lot of the squad, and hopefully we’ll get a good crowd out to support us too.”
Centre Adam Thomas returns to the starting line-up for the Cardiff Blues Premiership Select XV’s trip to Cornwall to face Cornish Pirates on Saturday afternoon (k-o 3.00pm).
The Pirates ran out 22-10 when the teams met at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park last weekend and the Blues coaches have made seven changes for the return clash at the Mennaye Field in Pool 4.
Thomas is back in the midfield alongside Aled Summerhill, who moves up from full back to allow Harry Davies to come in at No 15. Owen Jenkins comes in on the wing after returning from duty with the Wales Sevens side and Gareth Davies joins Lewis Jones in an experienced half-back combination.
Prop Joe Jones is named in the front row, the final changes see call ups for Miles Normandale, Jordan Viggers and USA international Cam Dolan.
The Scarlets Premiership Select XV travel to Belfast to meet Ulster A at Ballymena RFC on Saturday (k-0 2.30pm). They lost to the Iish side 27-19 at Parc y Scarlets last weekend.
