There are a handful of chances from the side which faced the Scarlets last weekend. Jonathan Evans comes in at scrum half, whilst new signing Mike Petri is on the bench. Locks Rob Sidoli and Adam Jones both return to the starting line up, whilst Lewis Evans also starts at flanker.

The front row trio of Hugh Gustafson, Ben Castle and captain Tom Willis all start, whilst Gavin Thomas and Toby Faletau retain their places. Luke Charteris drops to the bench where he is joined by the returning Andrew Coombs. Steve Jones, Pat Palmer and Phil Price provide the front row cover.

In the backs Will Harries continues at full back, Adam Hughes and Aled Brew fill the wing berths, and Tom Riley partners Ashley Smith in the centre. Jason Tovey is the outside half, with Pat Leach and Mathew Jones among the replacements.

The Men of Gwent last faced Connacht in the opening fixture of this season, when they were soundly beaten 40-17 in Galway, but they have a strong home record against the Irish province, having won six of the previous seven encounters between the two sides played at Rodney Parade, most recently winning 23-10 in October 2009.

Dan Lyidate misses out after picking up an injury at Wales fitness testing, angering Coach Paul Turner.

“It’s a disgrace, especially as we’re a region with not great resources,” Turner told the South Wales Argus. “Our two players have been tested and one of them has got injured, Dan has come in with a neck injury, he can’t move it.

“It means he’s almost certainly out of the Connacht match now, and it’s our most important game of the season. They had him in there and though his neck wasn’t right they’ve messed around with it and made it worse when we distinctly said our players should not be tested this week.

“Dan has gone down there with a couple of knocks [he’s also got shoulder and knee problems] but he’s been strength tested and come back unfit.

“We have basically got shafted and it will have big implications because of Thursday’s match when we said we had to be looked after because we had a game earlier in the week than anyone else.

“I’ve got e-mails which were sent about this and I’m fuming about it. Dan is probably our best player, yet Scarlets players went there on Monday and they weren’t tested.”

A WRU spokesman denied the claims saying: “While both Dan and Toby were invited to the WRU national centre of excellence at the Vale of Glamorgan for the testing session, Dan was medically screened and declared unfit to take any part in the testing.

“Toby completed one test from the five involved, but this was solely an anaerobic test lasting just 125 seconds which involved running for 450 metres.

“There should be no suggestion that this test should in any way damage the preparations of a professional athlete so far out from his next match.

“Fellow Dragons players Will Harries. Aled Brew and Luke Charteris were all also invited to the testing session and they each joined Dan in sitting out all of the tests.”

W Harries, A Hughes, T Riley, A Smith, A Brew, J Tovey, J Evans; H Gustafson, T Willis (c), B Castle, A Jones, R Sidoli, L Evans, G Thomas, T Faletau.

Replacements: S Jones, P Palmer, P Price, L Charteris, A Coombs, M Jones, M Petri, P Leach.