Newport Gwent Dragons' quest in the European Challenge Cup continues on Saturday when they take on Brive in their quarter-final game at Rodney Parade (3pm).
The Dragons are bidding to become the first Welsh region to reach a Challenge Cup semi final but are aware of how tough it will be against former Heineken Cup winners Brive.
Captain Kevin Morgan said, "Everyone at the region is looking forward to Saturday's game. Brive have a great pedigree in European competitions and they will be a formidable force. Along with Gareth Wyatt I was lucky enough to play Brive in their heyday and I remember it being my first real taste of the intensity of French rugby, the atmosphere was electric in their stadium and it produced a fantastic game of rugby. Brive have always played a free flowing style and I am sure it will be no different on the weekend. We are ready for the challenge and as a squad we would love to win some silverware. The competition has increased in importance as we have progressed and the aim now is to secure a place in the semi finals. We owe our supporters a big performance, they have been tremendous all season and a large part of why we are undefeated since September. Their backing will help us reach our goal on Saturday."
As well as a place in the semi final up for grabs, should The Dragons go all the way and win the Challenge Cup then they will automatically go into next seasons Heineken Cup competition so there is all to play for.
The Dragons are expecting a bumper crowd for the quarter-final game with sales already well over the 5,000 mark and with very limited away support then Rodney Parade is expected to be full of Dragons supporters and the team can expect to run out to an electric atmosphere.
Head Coach Paul Turner has experienced winning the Challenge Cup when he won it with Harlequins. He commented, "The Challenge Cup competition has been tremendous for us as squad and for our development. We have beaten Bristol who were at the time top of the Guinness Premiership and we won in France for the first time ever. There have been some great duels and we are expecting another one on Saturday. There is a great buzz around and on our day at home we are confident we can beat anyone and on Saturday will look to book our place in the semi finals. This game means a huge amount to everyone connected with The Dragons and we need to show everyone how we have learnt from the defeat to Parma which was a real low point and come back stronger. There would be no better reward than securing a semi final place."
The Dragons have been boosted by the news that Adam Black and Ben Daly are both expected to have recovered from their injuries and are named in The Dragons initial 25 man squad. Also named for the first time since September is hooker Steve Jones who has recovered from his shoulder operation while Nathan Brew has recovered from his foot injury.
Dragons Squad
Kevin Morgan, Gareth Wyatt, Paul Emerick, Phil Dollman, Nathan Brew, Aled Thomas, Aled Brew, Ceri Sweeney, Gareth Cooper, Alex Walker, Adam Black, Dai Maddocks, Ben Daly, Steve Jones, Richard Wilkes, Lee Harrison, Jamie Corsi, Ian Gough, Luke Charteris, Peter Sidoli, Andrew Hall, Colin Charvis, Michael Owen, Nic Fitisemanu, Jamie Ringer.
