Dragons fly-half Jason Tovey will make his 100th start for the Newport Gwent Dragons – the 25-year-old made his first appearance for the men of Gwent in the 2008 Magners League, when the Dragons played against fellow Welsh region the Ospreys.
Playing his last game of the season against Treviso, Tovey said, “On Saturday we really need to go out with a bang for the end of the season.
“We were pretty poor out there the first half, so we need to make sure that it doesn’t happen at home for us. They have a really big pack and they use it to the best of their abilities. Our forwards are looking to front up against them and take control of the game for that crucial win.”
The one change to the starting XV that faced the Scarlets has been made in the front row as Duncan Bell replaces Bruce Douglas as tight head prop.
The Dragons currently sit 10th in the standings having picked up 31 points from 21 games but a victory of any sorts would see them climb up to ninth if the Ospreys keep Connacht pointless at the Liberty Stadium.
However, defeat would mean Treviso would leapfrog Lyn Jones and co at the final hurdle, while a positive result for Zebre at high-flying Glasgow could also lead to a further slip down the standings.
One thing the Dragons are certain of is that they will finish the season as the nation’s lowest-placed region after their own poor run of form was accompanied by Cardiff Blues’ recent resurgence.
After an encouraging start to the campaign, the Dragons have struggled of late and have picked up just one win in the league in the calendar year. That sole success came courtesy of a thrilling comeback against Glasgow but they have lost six of their last seven games, with a draw at Zebre the only time they have avoided defeat since late February.
They already have a better points tally than last term, though, and a bonus point victory would seem them equal their total from 2012, when they finished with seven wins and 36 points.
As well as aiming to end the season on a high, the Dragons will also have revenge on their minds after they shipped 45 points to Treviso at the Stadio di Monigo just under a month ago. The Dragons were well beaten 45-27 on Italian soil as Treviso touched down five times, with Jones since describing the result and performance as ‘an embarrassment’.
But the Dragons have at least shown greater fight in the two games that have followed as they were beaten by 10 and 11 points by the Ospreys and Scarlets respectively and Jones believes the future is bright regardless of Saturday’s result.
“We are moving this club forward and a lot of work has been done to clear the way for next year. The future for Gwent rugby is very bright,” said Jones, as the Dragons look to improve on their record of just one win in their last five head-to-head fixtures against Saturday’s opponents.
“We will finish 9th, 10th or 11th and people will say that it’s another dour year for us, but this season is a watershed. The whole thing will have bottomed out.
“It’s tough to take at the moment… but the future is exciting and we just have to take it on the chin. At the moment teams are getting the better of us and it’s important they enjoy it, because that won’t happen forever.
“The players want to finish off with a bang at Rodney Parade by beating Treviso. We are interested in doing ourselves proud and playing the type of rugby we want to be proud of next year.”
Treviso haven’t won an away game in the PRO12 all season but they certainly won’t be easy meat given that they have plenty to play for as they look to finish above Zebre to claim the solitary Italian place in the European Rugby Champions Cup next season. The Italian teams are currently level on 29 points and also have five wins apiece but Zebre are comfortably ahead of their rivals on points difference so Treviso will need to better Zebre’s result to avoid missing out.
