Dragons game

[Cracker]

Any guesses about who will play? Despite everything this is a game we must win to stay ahead of the pack.They will have a full team but when we meet Edinburgh both teams will be heavily hit by International call ups, Edinburgh probably worse than us.

[SparkyClarky]

Dragons I believe have only won two games this season, they have looked very disorganised with poor discipline so far.
With the pressure building on them even further I think another victory in Wales!

[Rooster]

NEWPORT Gwent Dragons will be without Wales star Toby Faletau as they attempt to topple Europe’s only unbeaten team at Rodney Parade on Friday night.

Caretaker coach Rob Howley will name the 21-year-old in his Wales squad for the autumn internationals this morning.

The number eight will travel with the rest of his international team-mates for a training camp in Spala, Poland, on Saturday, so will not be with his region for the daunting clash with Ulster.

The Irish province have won all five of their RaboDirect Pro12 fixtures so far and are two-from-two in the Heineken Cup.

The task of becoming the first team to send Ulster packing isn’t helped by the Dragons back-row problems, with Faletau absent and Dan Lydiate, Hywel Stoddart, Andrew Coombs and Darren Waters on the treatment table.

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/dragons/9998154._/

[ruckover]

Depends who's in the squad. If all the internationals are available then we should play them since this could be a tricky game. We need to keep ahead as long as possible. They might rest Pienaar if those rumours are true about him wanting a break. For me the team would be:
15. Payne
14. Bowe
13. Cave
12. Wallace
11. Trimble
10. Jackson
9. P Marshall
1. Court
2. Best (c)
3. Afoa
4. Stevenson
5. Tuohy
6. Henderson
7. Henry
8. Williams

16. Herring, 17. Black, 18. Fitzpatrick, 19. McComb, 20. Wilson, 21. Heaney, 22. L Marshall, 23. Gilroy

[bangorboy]

Need to get a bit of rotation going in my opinion...

Gilroy deserves a start, and I would like to see Callum Black start as well as he's going to be our starting prop now for a while when TC is away with DK.

If Allen is fit would like to see him involved to along with LM. Perhaps a start of one or the other with DC/PW on the bench?

Lets the younger lads get a start while keeping an older wiser head on the bench if needed. We did this a couple of times earlier in the season and it worked out OK.

[Jackie Brown]

Rotation is the way to go,
15) Payne
14) Bowe
13) Cave
12) Marshall
11) Gilroy
10) Jackson
9) Pienaar

1) Black
2) Herring
3) Afoa (c)
4) Stevenson
5) McComb
6) Henderson
7) Birch
Wilson

Brady, Lutton, Fitzpatrick, Henry, Williams, Marshall, Wallace, Trimble

That team could do the job.

[Big-al]

1.Black
2.Best
3.Afoa
4.Stevenson
5.Henderson
6.Ferris
7.Birch
8.Wilson
9.Marshall
10.Jackson
11.Gilroy
12.Marshall
13.Cave
14.Trimble/Bowe
15.Payne

16.Herring, 17.Court 18.Fitzpatrick 19.Tuohy 20.Williams 21.Heaney 22.Wallace 23.Allen

[Scranner]

Not Sure I would start both Stevenson and McComb. Start Tuohy and McComb with Stevo to come on for Tuohy early in the second half. Also too many youngsters in the back row. Start Wilson, Henderson and Henry. Bring Birch on early in the second half - or Fez if he's fit - or both. Would like to keep Henderson at 6. I think he's going to be superb there - Fez 2.

[mea97mb]

Mulligan reckons Fez is likely to play on Friday night!

[ruckover]

If Wilson is playing I think it'll be off the bench, keeping in line with Anscombe's slow integration policy.

I'd like to see Gilroy start too - I think he could really push for a starting place ahead of Trimble if he's given the time to prove himself. Big Callum Black would also be a good starter, but put Court on the bench if things go wrong.

If Fez plays it'll be for about 50-55mins to get him back to match fitness - Kidney won't want to risk him getting crocked again. Possibly the same for Best if he plays.

In all honesty, a second side with a very strong bench of Best, Court, Afoa, Tuohy, Wilson, Pienaar, Cave, Trimble would be alright for me.

[AyeYerMa]

They might rest Pienaar if those rumours are true about him wanting a break.

Where did these stem from? There was a point during the Glasgow match where I remarked to SWMBO that he didn't look that happy to be there, or words to that effect.

Irish Times (I think it was) has that we won't have Fez this weekend.

[Russ]

If Wilson is playing I think it'll be off the bench, keeping in line with Anscombe's slow integration policy.

I'd like to see Gilroy start too - I think he could really push for a starting place ahead of Trimble if he's given the time to prove himself. Big Callum Black would also be a good starter, but put Court on the bench if things go wrong.

If Fez plays it'll be for about 50-55mins to get him back to match fitness - Kidney won't want to risk him getting crocked again. Possibly the same for Best if he plays.

In all honesty, a second side with a very strong bench of Best, Court, Afoa, Tuohy, Wilson, Pienaar, Cave, Trimble would be alright for me.

With all due respect, the Ireland management team can go feck themselves. We want to manage Ferris's game time so he will be fit to play in the big games for Ulster. Ireland is secondary to Ulster IMO, and to be fair, looking at most of the Irish players, their country comes a long way behind their province!

Let the youngsters start with the big guns on the bench, same as against Ospreys.

Dragons losing a lot of players to some Welsh training camp in Poland ... should be a solid 4 pointer at least.

And let Pienaar have a few weeks off! Saffas will be cart horsing him around in a few weeks again, and we need him fresh for Northampton. If the Saffas won't player manage him, we have to!

[Neil F]

Russ, for as long as the IRFU supplement Ferris' wages to keep him at Ulster, he's at the mercy of IRFU decisions. I'd suggest that without the IRFU money, Ferris may not have played many games for Ulster that he already has...

[mikerob]

It is more than supplement Ferris's wages - they pay his wages.

[rocky]

Most of the big guns will probably remember who is paying their large salaries - and it isn't the provinces. If they're called, they'll go so, sadly, the Ireland management team holds most of the cards. For the Dragons, I would start Gilroy for Trimble and Marshall (Luke) for Paddy W. Tommy still looks as though he needs more game time and Pienaar looks as though he does indeed need a holiday, so my back line would be: Payne, Bowe, Cave, Marshall, Gilroy, Jackson, Marshall.
Up front, the priority is to sort the scrum our so I think both Court and Afoa have to start although I would give Herring another run. The second row picks itself. I would rest Williams, who didn't look to be fully recovered, Chad has to play as captain and I would keep Henderson. Therefore, my full team:
Payne. Bowe, Cave, Marshall, Gilroy, Jackson, Marshall; Court, Herring, Afoa, Stevenson, Tuohy, Henderson, Henry, Wilson: Subs - Best, Black, Macklin, McComb, Diack, Heaney, Wallace, Trimble (or Nelson).