Fly half Sam Davies and wing Owen Jenkins will both make their Guinness PRO14 debuts for Dragons when they face Munster Rugby in the league opener on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
The talented back duo will line-up in Dean Ryan’s first team selection of the league season for the trip to Thomond Park in Limerick.
Davies – who last season amassed 153 points in the league for Ospreys – is joined at half back by Rhodri Williams who will captain Dragons in Ireland.
Wing Ashton Hewitt makes his first appearance in the competition since April 2018 after returning from a shoulder injury.
Wales international Leon Brown is named in the front row, alongside Richard Hibbard and Brok Harris, while Joe Davies and Matthew Screech are paired in the second row.
Hooker Ellis Shipp is named among the replacements alongside Dragons Academy products Max Williams, Taine Basham. Centre Tyler Morgan also makes a return on the bench.
Director of Dragons Rugby, Dean Ryan, said: “I’m genuinely excited by the challenge of a new competition, in the shape of Guinness PRO14, and I know all the players are looking forward to getting started after a very long pre-season.
“Our challenge is to get better every week and the first game will give us an indication of where we are as a group, where we need to keep improving.
“We know there is no hiding place in Munster. Thomond Park is an incredibly hard place to go first up and we will need to play well to get anything.
“But we go into every game looking to win, will prepare well and look to perform at our best. It is an exciting challenge to start the new campaign.”
Dragons: Jordan Williams, Ashton Hewitt, Adam Warren, Jack Dixon, Owen Jenkins, Sam Davies, Rhodri Williams (c); Brok Harris, Richard Hibbard, Leon Brown, Joe Davies, Matthew Screech, Huw Taylor, Ollie Griffiths, Lewis Evans
Replacements: Ellis Shipp, Ryan Bevington, Lloyd Fairbrother, Max Williams, Taine Basham, Tavis Knoyle, Jacob Botica, Tyler Morgan
Munster: Mike Haley; Darren Sweetnam, Rory Scannell, Tyler Bleyendaal, Shane Daly; JJ Hanrahan, Nick McCarthy; Jeremy Loughman, Kevin O’Byrne, Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Billy Holland (C); Jack O’Donoghue, Tommy O’Donnell, Arno Botha.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, James Cronin, Keynan Knox, Darren O’Shea, Chris Cloete, Alby Mathewson, Liam Coombes, Jack O’Sullivan.
We go into every game looking to win, will prepare well and look to perform at our best. It is an exciting challenge to start the new campaign...
