Evans & Lewis-Hughes set for home debut vs Osprey's

Fly half Lloyd Evans and back row Shane Lewis-Hughes will make their debuts as Dragons RFC launch the new BKT United Rugby Championship season against Ospreys at Rodney Parade on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

Head Coach Dai Flanagan names his first starting line-up of the new campaign and hands two debuts while Harry Wilson could join them from the bench.

Evans combines with Dane Blacker at half back on home soil while Wales international ace Rio Dyer is part of an exciting back three with Jared Rosser on the other flank and Angus O’Brien at full back.

Exciting centre pairing and Dragons Academy graduates Joe Westwood and Aneurin Owen combine power and guile in midfield.

New captain Ben Carter is joined alongside international team-mate Matthew Screech in the second row.

Leon Brown and Rodrigo Martinez pack down alongside Brodie Coghlan up front. Lewis-Hughes plays at Number Eight with Harri Keddie and Wales Under-20s captain Ryan Woodman in the back row.

A powerful and talented bench includes Wilson and Dan Lydiate, closing in fast on a century of club appearances.

Flanagan said: “We’re excited for the start. A lot of hard work has gone in during pre-season, but this is the time that counts – the first game of the season in the league.

“It’s a local derby at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, so It can't get much better than that. We’re excited to see what we can do this season.

“Ospreys have a fantastic squad, are top eight in the league side, with a good coaching staff with experience,” he added.

“They have internationals littered across their squad, Welsh captains in their pack, so it is a big challenge for us on day one.

“We know what we must do, and we believe we've got a way that can really frustrate them and feed into the way we want to play.”

Dragons RFC: Angus O’Brien, Rio Dyer, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen, Jared Rosser, Lloyd Evans, Dane Blacker; Rodrigo Martinez, Brodie Coghlan, Leon Brown, Ben Carter (c), Matthew Screech, Ryan Woodman, Harri Keddie, Shane Lewis-Hughes

Replacements: James Benjamin, Rhodri Jones, Luke Yendle, George Nott, Dan Lydiate, Rhodri Williams, Harry Wilson, Ewan Rosser

Unavailable (12): Harri Ackerman (leg), Dmitri Arhip (knee), Oli Andrew (hamstring), Steve Cummins (hand), Elliot Dee (ankle), Cai Evans (hamstring), Solomone Funaki (knee), Ollie Griffiths (back), Ashton Hewitt (knee), Che Hope (ankle), Aaron Wainwright (hamstring), Jordan Williams (ankle)