The Pool Draw for the European Rugby Challenge Cup was held today (Tuesday) which will be run by the newly constituted tournament organiser European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).
The men of Gwent last played against Stade Francais Paris in January 2004 in the Heineken Cup and beat them 20-12 at Rodney Parade, but lost away to the French side 37-0. So the Dragons will be looking to secure a win on both occasions this coming season.
The last encounter for the Dragons against Newcastle Falcons was last season in the LV=Cup, where the hosts were the better side on the day resulting in a 29-0 loss. As for the last opponent in the Dragons Pool, we will not know who this is until later on this summer so keep checking www.newportgwentdragons.com for more news on this.
Newport Gwent Dragons, head coach Kingsley Jones, commented, "There are some really strong teams in Pool 3 and Newcastle Falcons and Stade Francais make for some great fixtures. High profile games against clubs like Stade Francais are where we want to be.
"Stade certainly have a strong side but they flattered to deceive last season and ended up losing in the play-off match. But they are very strong, particularly in Europe - I've come up against them a few times with Sale Sharks and had some really tough games. So we can see how far we've come against them but they will have to come and play some tough games at Rodney Parade and up at Newcastle.
"The third side could be from anywhere, they could come from Russia or Romania or it could be a trip to Spain which makes for a nice twist. From my work with Russia, I know quite a bit about the second tier nations. It's an interesting pool, I'm not going to say we are going to win everything, but there are certainly some interesting fixtures there.
"There is a big difference in standard. If I wasn't with the Dragons I would be over in Bucharest now for the Nations Cup. I know a lot of the players over there and the quality they have. I think they present a different challenge, the lesser sides will do anything to beat the big teams and I think it's a really good mix. It's all about how we start in this group and we'll see where we can go.
"The key thing for us is to start the season really well, but we'll take each week as it comes and if we do well we will definitely challenge."
The Pool Draw for the 2014/15 European Rugby Champions Cup took place Neuchatel, Switzerland on Tuesday, 10th June at 12.00 (UK and Irish time) following the draw for the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
2014/15 European Rugby Champions Cup
Pool 1: Saracens, Munster Rugby, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Sale Sharks
Pool 2: Leinster Rugby, Castres Olympique, Harlequins, London Wasps
Pool 3: RC Toulon, Leicester Tigers, Ulster Rugby, Scarlets
Pool 4: Glasgow Warriors, Montpellier, Bath Rugby, Toulouse
Pool 5: Northampton Saints, Racing Metro 92, Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
2014/15 European Rugby Challenge Cup
Pool 1: Cardiff Blues, London Irish, Grenoble, FIRA-AER 1
Pool 2: Exeter Chiefs, Bayonne, Connacht Rugby, La Rochelle
Pool 3: Stade Francais Paris, Newport Gwent Dragons, Newcastle Falcons, FIRA-AER 2
Pool 4: Edinburgh Rugby, Bordeaux-Begles, London Welsh, Lyon
Pool 5: Gloucester Rugby, Brive, Zebre, Oyonnax
Pool stage dates
Round 1: 16/17/18/19 October 2014
Round 2: 23/24/25/26 October 2014
Round 3: 4/5/6/7 December 2014
Round 4: 11/12/13/14 December 2014
Round 5: 15/16/17/18 January 2015
Round 6: 22/23/24/25 January 2015
Make sure that you are involved buy buying your 2014/15 Season Ticket to watch Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade. Call the Ticket Office on 01633 674990 for more information.
