Friday, November 4, 2011

RaboDirect Pro12: NG Dragons v Cardiff Blues (Sun)

Centre Jamie Roberts, prop Gethin Jenkins and lock Bradley Davies start for that visitors with scrum-half Lloyd Williams on the bench.
Aled Brew is around the Dragons wing and hooker Lloyd Burn on the bench.
The hosts celebrate the conclusion of the new stand with the Blues hoping to spoil the party.
Cardiff Blues coach Gareth Baber believes the clash will be ideal preparation for his or her opening Heineken Cup clash not much later at Racing Metro.
"It's likely to be a sell-out. They're opening their new stand, Real Madrid Jersey " Baber said.
"We have a job of labor to do and our focus is firmly on making sure we leave with a victory."
The Blues are winless in five encounters with fellow Welsh regions in 2011 while the Dragons' only win within their last four league games was against Ulster in round five, however they have won five of the last six games at Rodney Parade in the competition.
Former Rodney Parade favourites Rod Snow, of Canada, ex-South Africa captain Gary Teichmann and Wales flanker-turned-adventurer Richard Parks will join entertainer Max Boyce in helping mark the stand's completion.
But on the field Baber wants the night time to fit in with the Blues, as he and fellow coach Justin Burnell seek to secure their roles at the region's helm.
Baber said: "If anybody's ever took part in them or gone to watch them, whatever you do experience clashes in Europe there's an intensity to the game [against the Dragons].
"Every time you go to the Dragons there's an intensity towards the game which is matched in terms of physicality and also the margins the games are won and lost by.
"And that's the level that you want to be playing at.
"You want your players to be ready,Barcelona Soccer Jersey to become battle-hardened and ready for European competition and that's just what the Dragons provide."
The Dragons will be planning to bounce back following last Saturday's 50-24 defeat against Treviso.
But head coach Darren Edwards says there won't be any requirement for him to fire up his players for the region's first Welsh derby of the season.
"As a motivation factor there's no need for me to face up and ask them to perform," said Edwards.
""I think the people will be really ready for it.
"As an event it's great. Any Welsh derby for any Welsh players, that is what we want to reach.
"It's a statement of intent where you are like a region and player."
The defeat in Treviso was the fifth away game the Dragons had lost in the Pro12 this year.
However the Dragons are unbeaten at Rodney Parade and Edwards sees the house game from the Cardiff Blues being an opportunity to kick-start their season.
"We've had a real tough campaign. The majority of our games have been away and it's so nice in the future home, Aguero Jersey" he explained.
"We're really relishing the fact that you can easily make statement now coming home and show the fans what we're all about.
"People tend to forget yourself on the street and it is time we came back and set a marker down."

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