Full back Dan Evans, 23, joins the Dragons from the Scarlets whilst full back/wing Tom Prydie, 20, also makes the move East from the Ospreys. Their recruitment comes days after the Leinster game where the Dragons bid farewell to back 3 players Aled Brew and Martyn Thomas.

Both Dan and Tom have huge potential and are Wales caps but have had limited opportunities up until now.

Dan Evans rose through the ranks at the Scarlets and has been a mainstay in the squad over the past 3 seasons. He has racked up 14 appearances for the Scarlets this season including home and away against the Dragons. Dan won two caps on Wales’s 2009 North America tour, making his debut in the 32-23 win over Canada but has been overlooked since.

On his move to the Dragons, Dan said “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s exciting to be joining a squad with the amount of young talent that the Dragons has at the moment. I’m eager to press for some more game time and hopefully help push for a successful season here at the Dragons.”

Prydie has been on loan with London Wasps since January, making 7 appearances for the Aviva Premiership side. Tom is a regular member of the Wales 7s side and has already earned four Wales caps. He became the youngest player to play for Wales when he faced Italy in the 2010 Six Nations aged 18 years and 25 days, and then became Wales’ youngest try-scorer when he touched down against South Africa three months later.

Tom has recently been named in Danny Wilson’s Wales Under 20 squad for the Junior World Championships in South Africa this summer alongside Dragons Jon Evans, Jack Dixon and Ieuan Jones.

Tom has signed from the Ospreys where he made his debut at the age of 17 years and 292 days. That came as a second-half replacement in their Heineken Cup match against Viadana in December 2009, an appearance that made him the youngest player in Heineken Cup history.

Tom is looking forward to joining a youthful Dragons side and can see a lot of potential at the region. “I’m really looking forward to the new challenge that signing with the Dragons presents.” said Tom.

“I’ve worked with Darren before and felt I learned a lot from the time I spent with him. I really enjoyed the experience so am looking forward to getting involved in a new environment down at the Dragons next season.”

“This season has felt a bit stop start, particularly at the start of the season so it will be great to have a fresh start and a bit of consistency. There is a lot of potential at the Dragons and hopefully we can be very competitive next season.”

Dragons Director of Rugby Robert Beale was delighted with the signings, “I’m obviously really happy that both of these young players have decided to join us here at the Dragons. They both show a lot of promise and I am looking forward to working with them over the coming seasons.”

Danny has been with the region as forwards coach since 2010 and has overseen the rise of a number of the Dragons’ young front rowers who have been thrust into the squad following retirements to key players.

Dragons Director of Rugby Rob Beale said “We would like to thank Danny for his contribution to the region and we wish him well in his future career.”

Danny said “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Dragons. I’d like to thank the region for the opportunities offered to me and wish them the best of luck for next season and beyond.”

It could be third time lucky for Luke Charteris as he looks to rack up his 100th RaboDirect PRO12 appearance after having to pull out at the last minute before the previous two games. It would also be his last appearance at Rodney Parade before leaving at the end of the season.

Hallam Amos is retained in the squad and is joined by fellow 17 year old Jack Dixon, both of whom have had RaboDirect PRO12 experience this season with the Dragons.

Tonderai Chavhanga is unavailable for selection after undergoing minor knee surgery last weekend.

Stats

• The Dragons have never lost three successive home games in the tournament in the same season.

• Leinster are still on target to become the first side since London Wasps in 2003/04 to claim a European and Domestic double in the same season.

• The Leinstermen have lost just one game since September: 22-23 at home to Ospreys in the PRO12 on 23 March.

Newport Gwent Dragons Squad

Martyn Thomas, Will Harries, Hallam Amos, Aled Brew, Pat Leach, Adam Hughes, Ashley Smith, Jack Dixon, Lewis Robling, Jason Tovey, Jonathan Evans, Wayne Evans, Tom Brown, Toby Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Lewis Evans, Jevon Groves, Andrew Coombs, Luke Charteris, Rob Sidoli, Scott Morgan, Dan Way, Nathan Buck, Nathan Williams, Phil Price, Steve Jones, Sam Parry, Hugh Gustafson

The only change to last week’s starting side is Denis Buckley who joins the front-row in place of the injury Brett Wilkinson. Brett picked up a calf strain in last week’s victory over Ulster and will now face a race against time to be fit for Ireland’s summer tour to New Zealand.

Recent victories over the Dragons and Ulster have left Eric Elwood’s side well placed to climb the RaboDirect PRO12 table and with just two points separating Connacht from the Dragons and Treviso a best ever eighth place finish is certainly within reach.

Speaking about the selection Head Coach Eric Elwood said:

"We’re looking for a strong performance and to finish the season on a high. We’ve had some excellent results in recent weeks and we hope to build on that and finish on an up. It’ll be a big day for the likes of Ray (Ofisa) and Henry (Fa’afili) playing in front of the home crowd for the last time so it would be great to give them the send off they deserve and finish with a win."

Connacht Rugby XV to face Aironi (The Sportsground – Saturday 21st April – kick-off 17.00)

15 Gavin Duffy (C)

14 Tiernan O’Halloran

13 Kyle Tonetti

12 Henry Fa’afili

11 Fetu’u Vainikolo

10 Miah Nikora

09 Frank Murphy

01 Denis Buckley

02 Ethienne Reynecke

03 Ronan Loughney

04 Michael Swift

05 Mike McCarthy

06 John Muldoon

07 Ray Ofisa

08 George Naoupu

16 Adrian Flavin

17 Stewart Maguire

18 Rodney Ah You

19 Mick Kearney

20 Johnny O’Connor

21 Paul O’Donohoe

22 Matthew Jarvis

23 Eoin Griffin

17 year old Hallam Amos will make his first RaboDirect PRO12 start at full back in place of Will Harries who went off injured last week. It will be Hallam’s second start for the Dragons after playing in the LV= Cup victory away at London Wasps earlier in the season.

At the other end of the experience scale, Luke Charteris is named in the starting line-up and will make his 100th RaboDirect PRO12 appearance on Friday night.

The other change in the backs comes at scrum half where Wayne Evans starts in place of Joe Bedford.

There are two changes in the pack, Steve Jones replaces Sam Parry at hooker and Jevon Groves starts at lock ahead of Rob Sidoli who is fast approaching 2000 minutes of rugby this season, having played an incredible 1952 minutes for the Dragons already.

Pat Leach is named on the bench and could be in line to make his first appearance since breaking his hand in the match between these sides in the LV= Cup match at the Brewery Field in January.

Newport Gwent Dragons Team

15 Hallam Amos

14 Tonderai Chavhanga

13 Adam Hughes

12 Ashley Smith

11 Aled Brew

10 Lewis Robling

9 Wayne Evans

1 Nathan Williams

2 Steve Jones

3 Nathan Buck

4 Luke Charteris (c)

5 Jevon Groves

6 Danny Lydiate

7 Lewis Evans

8 Toby Faletau

Replacements

16 Sam Parry

17 Phil Price

18 Dan Way

19 Rob Sidoli

20 Tom Brown

21 Joe Bedford

22 Martyn Thomas

23 Pat Leach

“Thanks to some good results and decent performances lately we’re in a fairly good place. We’re second in the league with two to play so the home semi is in our own hands but I think there’s a lot more to come from this team and we have to find the right level if we are going to achieve the aim.

“The Dragons will bring a strong, competitive pack to the Liberty, and that’s an area where we were dominant last week so it should be an interesting battle. It’ll be tough but we’ll do our homework, prepare properly and the guys will go out knowing exactly what’s expected of them.

“There’s going to be a big crowd which is fantastic. It’s great for the Ospreys and it’s great for Shane that so many people want to come and say farewell to him. It’s an indication of the esteem he’s held in by the local community. It’ll definitely give the boys a big lift to run out in front of so many fans. With the biggest crowd of the season present it’ll be doubly important that we show the right attitude and desire so that we don’t disappoint them. We want to see them at the Liberty regularly next season and the way to do that is put on a performance that they can be proud of.”

The Ospreys team to play Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday 20th April 2012 at the Liberty Stadium, kick off at 7.05pm, will be as follows:

15 Ross Jones

14 Hanno Dirksen

13 Tom Isaacs

12 Andrew Bishop

11 Shane Williams

10 Dan Biggar

9 Rhys Webb

1 Ryan Bevington

2 Richard Hibbard

3 Adam Jones

4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)

5 Ian Evans

6 Ryan Jones

7 Justin Tipuric

8 Joe Bearman

Replacements:

16 Scott Baldwin

17 Paul James

18 Joe Rees

19 James King

20 Tom Smith

21 Kahn Fotuali’i

22 Matthew Morgan

23 Ashley Beck

Ashley Beck will win his 50th Ospreys cap if he comes off the bench

The following players were not considered because of injury:

Richard Fussell – Ribs

Aaron Jarvis – Hamstring

Tommy Bowe – Haematoma

Kristian Phillips – Abdomen

Jonathan Thomas – Illness

Huw Bennett – Achilles

Will Price – ACL

Cai Griffiths – Arm

Ben John – Groin

Gareth Owen – ACL

Nikki Walker – ACL

Forthcoming fixtures

Sat 5 May – Aironi v Ospreys – Stadio Luigi Zaffanella – RaboDirect PRO12 – 7.30pm

The side remains largely unchanged from that which defeated the Dragons two weeks ago in Rodney Parade with just one change to the starting line-up. George Naoupu will don the number eight jersey with John Muldoon moving back to his traditional position at blindside flanker.

The replacements see Johnny O’Connor return to the squad; he has been out of action since fracturing his eye-socket against Leinster on New Year’s Day. Eoin Griffin also makes the bench having missed the Dragons match through a knee injury.

Speaking about the selection Head Coach Eric Elwood said:

"Looking back on our last two performances we had a very good effort against Munster, just not the result we wanted, we had the same team out against the Dragons and to be fair to the boys they were excellent. So there are not too many changes, on saying that there’s one positional change and it’s great to welcome George back for such an important game. He’s been a big player for us all year so that’s a big boost for us .It’s great as well to have Johnny O’Connor and Eoin Griffin back for such an important derby match."

There are a number tickets available for match and they can be purchased from www.connachtrugby.ie or from the Connacht Rugby Offices on College Rd, Galway

Connacht XV to face Ulster (The Sportsground – Saturday 14th April ko 17.15 live on TG4 & BBC NI)

15 Gavin Duffy (C)

14 Tiernan O’Halloran

13 Kyle Tonetti

12 Henry Fa’afili

11 Fetu’u Vainikolo

10 Miah Nikora

09 Frank Murphy

01 Brett Wilkinson

02 Ethienne Reynecke

03 Ronan Loughney

04 Michael Swift

05 Mike McCarthy

06 John Muldoon

07 Ray Ofisa

08 George Naoupu

16 Adrian Flavin

17 Denis Buckley

18 Rodney Ah You

19 Mick Kearney

20 Johnny O’Connor

21 Paul O’Donohoe

22 Matthew Jarvis

23 Eoin Griffin

In the backline, Andy Tuilagi misses out with a dead leg and is replaced by Adam Hughes at outside centre. Joe Bedford also gets a start at scum half ahead of Wayne Evans.

Jevon Groves is rested after his exploits for Cross Keys in their British & Irish Cup semi final win last weekend and is replaced by Lewis Evans at openside flanker.

The other changes come in the front row where Sam Parry makes his first senior start at Rodney Parade and Nathan Williams replaces Phil Price.

17 year old Hallam Amos is named among the replacements and could make his first senior Rodney Parade and RaboDirect PRO12 appearance if he comes off the bench. Hallam is rewarded for some impressive performances whilst away with the Wales Under-18s side who finished 4th in the FIRA European Championships last week. Scott Morgan is also on the bench having overcome a pectoral injury suffered against Exeter in December.

Newport Gwent Dragons Team
15 Will Harries
14 Tonderai Chavhanga
13 Adam Hughes
12 Ashley Smith
11 Aled Brew
10 Lewis Robling
9 Joe Bedford
1 Nathan Williams
2 Sam Parry
3 Nathan Buck
4 Luke Charteris (c)
5 Rob Sidoli
6 Danny Lydiate
7 Lewis Evans
8 Toby Faletau

Replacements
16 Steve Jones
17 Phil Price
18 Dan Way
19 Scott Morgan
20 Tom Brown
21 Wayne Evans
22 Jason Tovey
23 Hallam Amos

The match will be played at Rodney Parade, homeground for the Welsh Dragons, at 19:30 GMT,  20:30 Italian time.

The match will be broadcast live on Radio VenetoUno (FM 97.5) and recorded at 23:30 (Italian time) on RaiSport 2, channel 58 of the DTT.

The game for the eighth place in the league sees the two teams just three points apart.  The Referee for the match will be Mr James Matthews (SRU).

Treviso have won two out of three matches against the Dragons so far. But they have to recover from the previous match in Swansea where they lost 41-10 against the Ospreys.

The Dragons have the same goal, as they lost 19-27 against Connacht in their latest home match.

Franco Smith returns again to Newport, where he first played when he arrived in Europe after having played in South Africa and before ending his playing career in Italy.

The former Springbok has decided to line up with a well known team, with Franco Sbaraglini replacing Enrico Ceccato as hooker.

In the back row, Marco Filippucci is starting, as is Robert Barbieri who comes back as No. 8.

As for the backs, Kris Burton is the fly-half and Luke McLean as fullback.

Brendan Williams will gain his 217th cap, overtaking Enrico Pavanello in the top 10 of the most present players of all-time, and approaching Stefano Rigo and Moreno Trevisiol.

Starting line-up:

15 Luke McLean
14 Ludovico Nitoglia
13 Tommaso Iannone
12 Alberto Sgarbi
11 Brendan Williams
10 Kristopher Burton
9 Edoardo Gori
8 Robert Barbieri
7 Alessandro Zanni
6 Marco Filippucci
5 Corniel Van Zyl
4 Antonio Pavanello (captain)
3 Lorenzo Cittadini
2 Franco Sbaraglini
1 Michele Rizzo

On the bench:

16 Diego Vidal
17 Matteo Muccignat
18 Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet
19 Valerio Bernabò
20 Francesco Minto
21 Simon Picone
22 Fabio Semenzato
23 Alberto Di Bernardo

Head Coach: Franco Smith.

Danny Barnes is missing having sustained a knee injury in the win over Cardiff Blues on Friday but recent signing Save Tokula is named in the squad.

Also included are Damien Varley and Denis Hurley, both were in Carton House for the week with the national squad

Munster Squad: F Jones, L O’Dea, S Scanlon, J Murphy, D Hurley, S Tokula, L Mafi, I Keatley, S Deasy, T O’Leary, D Williams, C Sheridan, M Horan, W du Preez, S Henry, M Sherry, D Fogarty, D Varley, J Ryan, S Archer, BJ Botha, I Nagle, D Foley, M O’Driscoll, B Holland, T O’Donnell, Dave O’Callaghan, P Butler, J Coughlan