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After celebrating the end of a near year-long wait for a win, Dragons hunt a first United Rugby Championship (URC) success in 15 months against Connacht in Newport on Saturday.
The Rodney Parade club fought back from 21-6 down with 65 minutes played to beat Lyon 23-21 in the European Challenge Cup on Sunday.
Dragons have not won back-to-back competitive games since October 2022 when they beat Ospreys and then Zebre in Newport.
However, head coach Filo Tiatia will be without talisman Aaron Wainwright against Connacht because of a niggle, with the Wales number eight not risked prior to festive derbies with Cardiff and Scarlets.
His fellow Wales internationals Ben Carter and Rio Dyer do return, at lock and wing, after being rested against Lyon.
United Rugby Championship: Dragons v Connacht
Saturday, 20 December at 19:45 GMT
Rodney Parade, Newport
Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
The win against the French side was Dragons’ first since a European success at Newcastle in December 2024, while the wait for a URC victory is even longer with the winless streak currently on 23 fixtures.
Tiatia was defence coach under Dai Flanagan when Ospreys were pipped in the last minute on the opening weekend of last season on 20 September, 2024.
“There were a lot of tough days and defeats wear you down,” admitted former Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt, who retired in the summer, on the Scrum V podcast.
“It takes quite a bit of character as a unit to stay in the fight and keep grinding away to get the win.
“There is always the belief, otherwise what is the point in turning up?”
Tiatia is yet to taste victory in the URC as head coach after Dragons blew chances at the death against both Sharks and Ospreys in the first block of the current campaign.
The short turnaround to face Connacht, who cruised past Georgian side Black Lion 52-0 in Galway last Saturday, has focused minds in at the region’s Ystrad Mynach training centre this week.
“We won and you celebrate the moments – but then you go again,” said Tiatia.
“We have seven more games in this ten-week block and there is a lot more work to do, still things to improve on.”
Tiatia freshens up his XV because of the six-day turnaround, with Harri Keddie promoted to number eight in the absence of both Wainwright and Mackenzie Martin.
Keddie is part of a new back row trio with blind-side Ryan Woodman and openside Harry Beddall, while lock Carter and loose-head prop Rodrigo Martinez also come in up front.
Tonga international Fine Inisi gets the nod at outside centre – his first start in that position after previously playing wing – while there is a starting chance for scrum-half Che Hope after a lively cameo last weekend.
Hooker George Roberts, who signed from Doncaster last week, and tight-head prop Cebo Dlamini, who arrived from Griquas in South Africa on Tuesday, are set for debuts off the bench.
Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster had made three changes to the side that comprehensively beat Black Lion. Flanker Cian Prendergast and fly-half Josh Ioane return after injuries while centre Bundee Aki was rested for the Challenge Cup game.
How they line up
Dragons: O’Brien; J Rosser, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; De Beer, Hope; Martinez, Burrows, Hunt, Douglas, Carter (capt), Woodman, Beddall, Keddie.
Replacements: G Roberts, Morris, Dlamini, Lewis-Hughes, Young, R Williams, Westwood, Anderson.
Connacht: Gilbert; Mullins, Forde, Aki, Bolton; Ioane, Blade; Duggan, Heffernan, Illo, D Murray, N Murray, Prendergast (capt), O’Brien, Boyle.
Replacements: Tierney-Martin, Buckley, Bealham, J Murphy, Jansen, B Murphy, Carty, Gavin.
Referee: Ru Campbell (Scotland)
Assistants: Rob McDowell, Jonny Mackenzie (Wales)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
