Newport Gwent Dragons kick off their European Challenge Cup campaign on Friday night when Bayonne are the visitors to Rodney Parade (7.30pm).
The Dragons have announced a 25-man squad for the game against the Top14 side with scrumhalf James Ireland included for the first time this season following his recovery from a knee injury.
"Our initial aim is to reach the quarter-finals of the competition and that is well within our reach providing we play to our potential, stick to our game plan and are clinical with our finishing," commented Head Coach Paul Turner. "Personally I have tremendous memories of the competition when I won the trophy with Harlequins and that was a great day, there was a fantastic atmosphere and will live long in the memory. I want to capture the same with The Dragons. Our supporters have been fantastic this season, they have really backed the team and we are playing our European Challenge Cup games on a Friday night which we hope will be a success. We have deliberately gone for a Friday night to avoid local club matches that are on a Saturday afternoon and we are hoping for Rodney Parade to be buzzing when we kick off our Challenge Cup campaign. We are looking to develop something here. The supporter base in Gwent has always been superb especially during the old club rugby days and if we could just develop that here then the organisation will move on a lot quicker than people think. We go into Europe with confidence, obviously we are disappointed with the loss against Connacht but we are in a positive mood. Bayonne will be a big challenge as French sides always have that air of unpredictability. We look forward to our Challenge Cup campaign but want it to be our last as we are aiming to get back into the Heineken Cup next season."
The Dragons are without front row players Steve Jones (shoulder) and Rhys Thomas (chest) for the opening European fixture. Jones underwent a shoulder operation at the end of last week and is likely to be out for six months. Flanker Joe Bearman who has been sidelined with a hip injury will hopefully be available for selection next week.
Looking ahead to Friday night's game, skipper Kevin Morgan said, "We are all aware of the qualities that a French Club team bring to a game of rugby and Bayonne will be no different. They play an entertaining style of rugby coupled with a physical and sometimes brutal forward play and we are hoping that Bayonne don't bring their 'A' game with them on Friday! Things may not be going too well for them so far this season in the Top14 competition but you underestimate any French side at your peril and the team know we're in for a physical and competitive game as we launch our European Challenge Cup campaign.
"The Challenge Cup will provide us with a stern test and offers a highly competitive tournament for us as well as the lure of automatic qualification for the Heineken Cup for the winners so it's a competition we are taking very seriously. With the likes of Bath, Bristol, Newcastle, Brive and ASM Clermont Auvergne in this years draw there are quality teams involved and it's going to take a massive effort for us to do well in the competition. But it would be nice to be the first welsh club/region to win a trophy in Europe. It all starts on Friday and we need to start our campaign off with a victory."
Dragons Squad
Kevin Morgan, Gareth Wyatt, Richard Fussell, Paul Emerick, Nathan Brew, Aled Brew, Ceri Sweeney, Mike Hercus, Craig Warlow, Gareth Cooper, James Ireland, Adam Black, Dai Maddocks, Kieran Crawford, Ben Daly, Lee Harrison, Jamie Corsi, Ian Gough, Luke Charteris, Peter Sidoli, Andrew Hall, Nic Fitisemanu, Michael Owen, Jamie Ringer, Colin Charvis.
