Back row Dan Lydiate captains the side and prop Aki Seiuli is set to makes his 50th appearance as Dragons RFC tackle Benetton Rugby in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2pm UK).
Lydiate leads the Men of Gwent and is one of six changes made by Head Coach Dai Flanagan for the fixture at Stadio Monigo in Treviso.
Fit-again centre Sio Tomkinson plays his first game since December as he is paired with Aneurin Owen in midfield. Scrum half Dane Blacker is also recalled, joining forces with Will Reed at half back.
A new-look front row sees prop Rodrigo Martinez and hooker James Benjamin called up, while George Nott returns in the second row alongside Ben Carter.
Brodie Coghlan, Harrison Keddie, Che Hope and Jordan Williams return among the replacements while Samoa international Seiuli is set for his 50th appearance from the bench.
Flanagan said: “Benetton do everything well. They kick well, they chase well, their collisions are very good.
“They have evolved their game superbly well. If you compare our preview from last year to this year, last year it was about not giving them much set piece because they drive a lot.
“This year they drive, break out, and their centre (Juan Ignacio) Brex is a fantastic rugby player. They get him on ball a lot and he can play front line, out the back, make breaks, he is a massive dangerman.
“They’ve got a fantastic midfield and fantastic back row, and those guys give them the go forward and it makes their platform superbly dominant.
“We need to control that; hence you will see some of our selections, we have gone with a big pack, a mobile pack, and we are going to try and be as physical as we can be.”
Dragons RFC: Cai Evans, Rio Dyer, Sio Tomkinson, Aneurin Owen, Jared Rosser, Will Reed, Dane Blacker; Rodrigo Martinez, James Benjamin, Luke Yendle, Ben Carter, George Nott, Dan Lydiate (c), Sean Lonsdale, Taine Basham
Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Aki Seiuli, Dmitri Arhip, Harrison Keddie, Aaron Wainwright, Che Hope, Joe Westwood, Jordan Williams
Unavailable (13): Harri Ackerman (leg), Oli Andrew (hamstring), Leon Brown (knock), Chris Coleman (calf), Lloyd Fairbrother (calf), Ollie Griffiths (elbow), Ashton Hewitt (knee), Barny Langton-Cryer (knee), Angus O’Brien (arm), Bradley Roberts (back), Matthew Screech (knock), Ryan Woodman (thumb), George Young (pec)
They’ve got a fantastic midfield and fantastic back row, and those guys give them the go forward and it makes their platform superbly dominant...
